BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and wash and dry all produce. Cut the sweet potatoes into ½-inch-thick wedges, toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper, and roast until browned and tender, 20–25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, halve and peel the onion; slice ¼ cup as thinly as possible and finely chop the rest. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Halve the lime and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Halve the buns, melt 1 tbsp butter in another small bowl, and brush it onto the cut sides.
3. To the lime juice, add the sliced onion, ¼ tsp sugar and a pinch of salt; stir and set aside to quick-pickle.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the chopped onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the pork, season, and cook, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through, 4–6 minutes.
5. While the pork cooks, combine the BBQ sauce, pickling liquid from the onion, 3 tbsp ketchup, ½ tsp sugar and ¼ cup water in a small bowl. Add this to the cooked pork and cook, stirring, until thickened, 2–3 minutes, then taste and season.
6. Toast the buns in the oven until golden, 3–5 minutes. Fill the buns with the BBQ pork, top with the pickled onion and hot sauce, and serve with the sweet potato wedges.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Quick-pickle the onion in lime juice while everything else cooks; it cuts the richness perfectly.
• Break the pork up well as it browns so the sauce coats every bit.
• Let the sauce reduce until it clings to the meat — too loose and it'll soak the buns.
• Toast and butter the buns so they hold up to the saucy filling.