Hey Sloppy Joe (Where Ya Goin’ With That Bun In Your Hand)

“I’m goin’ way down south, way down where I can be free!”

Theme song by Charlotte Gainsbourg “Hey Joe” from Hey Joe
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Much like my feelings about “California Dreamin'”, I am a fan of Hendrix’s original of “Hey Joe”, but I prefer some of the covers over the original. In researching the theme song for this recipe, I found a brilliant soulful Wilson Pickett cover that is heartbreaking. There’s the bombastic organ-driven Deep Purple cover that is so very very Deep Purple. Popa Chubby goes for the faux Hendrix white boy blues vibe. Even The Offspring takes a swing with their trademark Party Bro Pop Punk sound. Ultimately, I went with this creepy-as-hell Charlotte Gainsbourg version. Whisper sung with dirge-like instrumentation, distills the lover’s rage of the original into a grindhouse horror soundtrack. Perfect for eating a sandwich in the dark on a stormy night. 

I’m shocked I did not think of this recipe name during my professional cooking days. It’s possibly one of the worst music food puns to date and the longest and works for any version of this sandwich. For this version, I chose an unexpected ingredient:

SWEET POTATO

It turns out shredding sweet potato, cooking it with onions and peppers like “Hashbrowns For A Crowd,” then hitting the whole crispy chopped skillet with taco seasoning and BBQ sauce makes for a damn fine vegetarian sloppy joe.

HEY SLOPPY JOE (WHERE YOU GOIN’ WITH THAT BUN IN YOUR HAND?)
Sweet potato sloppy joe, red pepper, onion, waffle fries, honey mustard, bread & butter pickles, and pickled red onion on a sesame seed roll 
Makes 6 – 8 sandwiches

Sweet Potato Sloppy Joe (see recipe below)
Pickled red onion (see recipe below)
Bread & butter pickles
Honey mustard
Waffle fries
Sesame seed burger bun

Toast the bun. Place some mustard on the bottom and top buns. Place a couple of waffle fries on the bottom bun. Spoon the sloppy joe onto the bottom bun. Top with pickles and onions. Grab a ton of napkins and enjoy!

SWEET POTATO SLOPPY JOE
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, shredded with the skin on
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
½  red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon taco spice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 – 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, depending on how sloppy you want your joe

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute onion and peppers on medium heat in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet. Saute until the onions are translucent and the peppers are tender.

Add the remaining oil and the shredded sweet potatoes and spread evenly in the pan over the onions and peppers. Let the potatoes cook, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes. Add the taco spice and stir to combine. Continue flattening the shredded potatoes in the skillet and cook thoroughly before stirring again. Continue cooking and stirring until the potatoes are cooked through and lightly browned. Add the apple cider to deglaze the pan.

Finally, add the BBQ sauce and stir to combine thoroughly. Remove from the heat. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serve on a toasted bun with, mustard & pickles.

PICKLED RED ONION
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Place red onion in a medium bowl or jar. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt In a small bowl. Mix until sugar dissolves. Pour over red onion and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.