Roasted Sweet Potato and Leek Risotto with Rosemary Toscana

It seems the only thing my body craves in the wintertime is comfort food - something hot and delicious. Something that tastes best with a glass of wine and a woolen blanket wrapped around my shoulders. Sweet potatoes are great for the wintertime and this is the ultimate comfort dish for a drear mid-winter's meal. The potatoes offer a hearty sweetness and the leeks are buttery and soft while turmeric and rosemary give this dish a lively and unexpected flavor. Try serving this dish with roasted chicken or salmon on a bed of arugula.

What You'll Need:
2 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium sized, trimmed leeks
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 cups dry white wine
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated toscana cheese*
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

*I love using rosemary encrusted toscana. You can find this at any Trader Joe's grocery store.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes. Dice the potatoes into small, 1/4" cubes. Place the potatoes in a bowl and coat with the olive oil. Sprinkle the turmeric, rosemary, salt and pepper over top and toss to coat. Place the in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.

When the 15 minutes are up, reset the timer for 15 minutes and start on the risotto. Chop the leeks into rounds about 1/4" thick. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook until soft and slightly brown - about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice and, stirring constantly, roast the rice until golden brown and fragrant - about 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of broth to the pan. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Next, add 1 cup of the white wine. Wait to add the wine until the broth is almost completely absorbed. Once the wine is absorbed, add another cup of broth. Continue this process, switching between broth and wine, until all liquid is absorbed and rice is soft (add 1 cup of liquid, wait until it is absorbed, add another cup and so on). Be sure to constantly stir the mixture so it does not burn.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven when the timer goes off and set aside (this will probably happen while you are adding liquid to your risotto).

Once the last cup of liquid has been added and absorbed, add the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the cheeses and stir until melted. Salt and pepper to taste.