Boring lunch is better than no lunch
The success of my day hinges on whether I eat lunch but wow is it hard to eat lunch! The reason is very specific to how I develop recipes, which I won’t bore you with, but basically by lunchtime I’ve already cooked so much and tasted so many little bites that making something new for lunch isn’t happening, but also I’m over whatever I have been working on and that won’t be a satisfying lunch either.
The solution is to make sure lunch is already in the fridge — a few things I can grab and stick in a bowl that taste good together and make me happy.
Lunch, to me, by the way, needs to taste great but doesn’t need to be the best meal of my life. My friend Caroline makes a weekly lunch that she eats all week — this is what I aspire to do more regularly. It’s better to be bored by lunch on Thursday than to not eat lunch at all.
This here is a frequent weekly lunch of mine. It is a few components that you can simultaneously cook, and they’re amenable to whatever stragglers are also in your fridge. I love the combination of creamy, caramelized sweet potatoes and crunchy, nutty broccoli.
The egg is there for extra creaminess and some protein, but if eggs don’t exist at your store right now, that could also be a scoop of soft tofu, pile of beans or any leftover cooked protein.
There are a billion other ways to personalize this combination, or reinvent it throughout the week — see some ideas after the recipe. One day I sort of made it into bubble and squeak? Must’ve been the fourth day of this lunch.
Roast sweet potatoes with broccoli goma-ae
Serves 4, or one four times
4 small or medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1 large head of broccoli (about 1 pound)
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon honey, plus more to taste
1. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Halve 4 small or medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each) lengthwise. On the sheet pan, toss the sweet potatoes with enough oil and salt to lightly coat. Arrange cut-sides down, then place in the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Roast, without flipping, until the cut sides are sticky and a knife inserted slides through easily, 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, fill a large pot halfway with water, add a big pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Cut 1 large head of broccoli (about 1 pound) through the stalk into florets. When the water’s boiling, add the broccoli and cook until bright-green and the stalks give slightly when pressed, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer to a colander to drain; keep the pot of water.
3. While the broccoli’s cooling, return the water to a boil. Add 4 large eggs and boil for 6 1/2 minutes. Transfer the eggs to the colander to cool. Dry the pot; it’s getting used once more.
4. Add 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds to the pot and smash them with a wooden spoon, bottom of a rolling pin, or muddler until coarsely crushed. Add 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce and 1 teaspoon honey and stir to combine. Add the broccoli to the pot and toss to coat. Season to taste with soy sauce (if bland) and honey (if salty).
5. When the sweet potatoes are ready, peel the eggs. Plate up the broccoli, sweet potato, and an egg and dig in with a knife and fork.
PRINT THE RECIPE
RIFFS
To the bowl, add last night’s salmon, chicken or pork chop. Or a tin of fish. Or grains or quinoa, or leftover vegetables.
Garnish it with cilantro, scallions, or crumbled nori.
Chop it up and make it a salad with salad greens or kale, and maybe something juicy like citrus. Drizzle with soy sauce and rice vinegar or lemon.
Goma-ae is often made with spinach, so do that. I also like to make it with broccoli rabe or kale.
Make fried rice: Chop the sweet potato and broccoli up and sizzle it with rice. Top with the egg.
Make bubble and squeak. Mash up the sweet potato and chop up the broccoli really small. Sizzle it in oil and flip and mash until it’s browned throughout.
Add a sauce, maybe one with tahini, gochujang or more soy sauce.
Make soup: Add the sweet potato and broccoli to miso soup or instant ramen, then top with the egg.
Make a broccoli melt: Chop up the broccoli with kimchi, pile it on toast, then cover in cheddar and broil.
Loved it
So late to reading but also so yum. This feels like a really delicious and essential lunch.