Roasted Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut the sweet potato into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and half the spice blend (you will have extra); toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer. Roast 18 to 20 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.  

Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the shallot. Quarter the lime. Grate the cheddar on the large side of a box grater. Roughly chop the peppadew peppers. Roughly chop the lettuce. Halve and pit the avocado, then thinly slice; place in a bowl. Using a spoon, remove the avocado from the skin, then place in a bowl. Top with the juice of 1 lime wedge; season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop the jalapeño pepper. Thoroughly wash your hands, knife, and cutting board immediately after handling. 

In a small pot, combine the sliced shallot, sugar, the juice of the remaining lime wedges, and ¼ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, at least 10 minutes. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.

Remove the plastic lining between the slices of prosciutto. Place the tortillas on a work surface. Top one half of each tortilla with the grated cheddar, roasted sweet potato, prosciutto (tearing into bite-sized pieces before adding), chopped peppadew peppers, and as much of the chopped jalapeño pepper as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Fold the tortillas in half over the filling.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the quesadillas. Cook 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and the cheese is melted (if the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil before flipping). Transfer to a cutting board and immediately season with salt. Carefully halve each quesadilla.

Reserving the liquid, transfer the pickled shallot to a large bowl. Add the chopped lettuce, seasoned avocado, and half the reserved pickling liquid (you will have extra); season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the cooked quesadillas with the salad on the side. Garnish the salad with the cotija. Enjoy!