Sweet potato, chorizo and red pepper salad (above)
Sweet potato is the perfect match for spicy pork and sharp red pepper, with the spices underlining its depth of flavour.
Angela’s Kitchen: 200 Quick and Easy Recipes by Angela Hartnett (Ebury Press)
Serves 4
2 sweet potatoes, diced with skin on
2 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of ground cumin
A pinch of cayenne pepper
100g chorizo, diced
2 red peppers, skinned and cut into strips
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the red wine vinegar dressing
10ml red wine vinegar
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt
50ml olive oil
1 First make the dressing: put the vinegars in a bowl, season well and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. Add the olive oil and whisk everything together. Set aside.
2 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp oil and the spices and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
3 Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan and fry the diced chorizo until cooked.
4 Mix the chorizo with the cooked sweet potatoes, red peppers and coriander and gently stir in the dressing. Check the seasoning and serve.
Fenugreek-roasted sweet potato wedges
The satisfying earthiness that oven-roasting brings to the sweet potato is heightened here by a dash of musky fenugreek. Serve with a creamy yoghurt dip.
The Modern Pantry, by Anna Hansen (Ebury Press)
Serves 6
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
¾ tsp ground fenugreek
2 tbsp olive oil
Maldon salt or other flaky sea salt
Black pepper
1 Toss the wedges with the fenugreek and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then spread out in a roasting tin lined with baking parchment. Place in an oven preheated to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and roast for 20 minutes or until soft and golden. Serve immediately.
Sweet potato gratin with coconut and chilli
Vibrant Creole flavours bring out a candied creaminess in the sweet potatoes here. Delicious with grilled whole fish.
The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt (Quadrille)
Serves 4
800g sweet potatoes, peeled
250ml coconut cream
1 garlic clove, peeled, finely chopped
A pinch of chilli flakes or finely chopped chilli
3 sprigs flat parsley, stalks finely, leaves roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Preheat oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Cut the sweet potato into slices about as thick as a £1 coin.
2 Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure the coconut cream gets between each slice. Fill a large baking dish about 5cm deep with the mixture.
3 Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Test that the potatoes are soft with a knife and return to the oven if necessary.
Sweet potato and apple doughnuts
These, picture-perfect as they are, might call for a bunch of niche, pricey ingredients, but that’s because they are impeccably nutritious. Their finger-licking sweetness is all down to the sweet potato dough and honeyed dried fruit. Health food stores, such as healthysupplies.co.uk, will have all you need to make them.
The Vibrant Table by Anya Kassoff (Roost Books)
Makes 12
For the doughnuts
1 small sweet potato, peeled and finely grated
1 medium granny smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1 large egg
35g coconut sugar
3 tbsp ghee
90g plus 2 tbsp brown rice flour
50g ground almonds
30g coconut flour
30g plus 2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
For the coconut glaze
1½ tbsp coconut butter, melted
½ tsp honey
For the chocolate glaze
1½ tbsp coconut butter, melted
½ tsp honey
1½ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
For the strawberry glaze
1½ tbsp coconut butter, melted
½ tsp honey
1 tsp strawberry powder or ground freeze-dried strawberries, plus more to taste
Suggested toppings (optional)
Dried coconut flakes
Ground cacao nibs or chocolate
Unsweetened dried papaya, chopped
Dried pineapple, chopped
Dried apricots, chopped
Dried cherries, chopped
Dried strawberries, ground and/or chopped
1 Measure about 220g packed shredded sweet potato and put it in a food processor with the shredded apple, egg and coconut sugar and process until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to a smooth, soft, wet batter. Transfer to a medium bowl.
2 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gather a small ice-cream scoop and a pastry bag tip. Have a small bowl of water ready for dipping them.
3 Dip the ice-cream scoop into the water, and then into the batter. Place scoops of doughnut batter on to the parchment paper, about 5cm apart. Dip the scoop into the water between every scoop of batter, tapping it at the edge of the bowl to shake off the excess. With wet fingers or a spoon, slightly flatten the centre of each scoop. You can bake the doughnuts as is or make doughnut holes.
4 To make doughnut holes, wet the pastry tip and cut a hole (2½cm wide) in the centre of each doughnut with the wide end of the tip. Remove it carefully and scoop out the batter from the inside of the tip with a narrow knife. Make sure to wet the tip between each doughnut. You may want to dry your fingers occasionally as you’re working, as the tip may become slippery and sometimes stubborn when removing it from a doughnut. The batter should be very soft and wet. You can collect all the scooped-out batter and reshape it into a small doughnut at the end.
5 Bake the doughnuts for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden and a toothpick comes out dry. Let them cool before glazing.
6 To prepare the glazes, combine all the ingredients for each glaze in separate bowls and stir. Spoon over the doughnuts and decorate with toppings.
Sweet potato and wild rice patties with lime salsa
Sweet potatoes make excellent pan-fried cakes or croquettes. Serve on a bed of wilted cavalo nero, spinach or kale – the green bitterness jostles pleasingly with the sweet ginger-caramel notes of the sweet potato.
The Best of Rose Elliot - The Ultimate Vegetarian Collection by Rose Elliot (Hamlyn)
Serves 6
6 sweet potatoes, about 250g each
300g mixed basmati and wild rice
6-8 spring onions, chopped
2 tbsp grated fresh root ginger
8 garlic cloves, crushed
175g cashew nuts, grated
Dry polenta, for coating
Olive oil, for shallow-frying
Salt and pepper
For the salsa
Zest and chopped flesh of 1 lime
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 Make a cut in the sweet potatoes, to let out the steam, place them on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 230C/450F/gas mark 8 for 50-60 minutes or until they feel tender to the point of a knife. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. This can be done in advance if convenient.
2 Meanwhile, cook the rice. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice, bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. It can be a little on the soft side for this recipe. Drain into a colander, rinse under cold water, drain again thoroughly and put into a bowl.
3 Scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins and add to the rice, along with the spring onions, ginger, garlic and cashews. Season with salt and pepper.
4 Form the mixture into 12 flat patties and coat with polenta, then set aside until required.
5 To make the salsa, simply mix all the ingredients together and set aside.
6 Just before you want to serve the meal, pour enough olive oil into a frying pan to coat the bottom very lightly. Heat until smoking, then add some of the patties. Fry until browned and crisp on one side, then turn them over and fry the other side, adding a little more olive oil as necessary. Lift them out carefully and put on to a baking sheet lined with kitchen paper. Keep them warm in the oven while you fry the rest.
Goodwill rainbow pie
A beauty of a layered bake with sweet potato as the flavoursome anchor for an array of coloured veg, speckled with Lancashire cheese. For a vegan version, use vegetable shortening or coconut oil instead of butter, swap the honey for agave or maple syrup, omit the cheese and brush the pastry with soy milk in place of egg.
A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones (Fourth Estate)
Serves 8–10
200g Lancashire cheese
1 egg, beaten, for brushing
For the pastry
600g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp baking powder
A small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves only, very finely chopped
200g butter or vegetable shortening
Up to 250ml ice-cold water
For the beets
5 medium beetroots, peeled and cut into rough cubes
Olive oil
A splash of red wine vinegar
2 sprigs of fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves only
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the parsnips
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into little fingers
A couple of sprigs of fresh sage, leaves picked
Zest of 1 unwaxed orange
1 tbsp honey
For the sweet potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
A little butter or olive oil
A good few gratings of fresh nutmeg
For the leeks
25g butter or olive oil
2 good-sized leeks, washed, trimmed and sliced
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
For the greens
2 heads winter greens, destalked, roughly shredded
Grated zest and juice of half an unwaxed lemon
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 First make the pastry. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add the chopped thyme. Cut the butter or shortening into small bits and rub these into the dry ingredients until you have a breadcrumb-like mix. Add the water and knead to a smooth dough, but don’t overwork it. Wrap in clingfilm and chill.
2 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Meanwhile, pop the beets into a roasting tin with a splash of olive oil and the vinegar, add the marjoram or oregano, and season.
3 Put the parsnips into a second roasting dish with the sage, orange zest, honey and a drizzle of olive oil, mix to coat, then cover with foil. Roast the beets and the sweet potatoes – uncovered in a third tin – for 1 hour, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes, and the parsnips for 45 minutes, until golden, removing the foil for the last 5–10 minutes.
4 When all the vegetables are cooked, rRemove from the oven and turn the temperature down to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
5 Meanwhile cook the leeks: cook the leeks. Heat the butter or oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the leeks and thyme and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, until sweet and softened, then set aside.
6 Add a little more olive oil to the pan, add the greens and cook over a low heat for a few minutes, until just wilted. Season, then add the lemon zest and juice and chilli. Set aside.
7 Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and mash with a knob of butter or 1 tbsp of olive oil and a good grating of nutmeg. Adjust the seasoning for all the vegetable mixtures, if needed.
8 Take your pastry from the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes. Then roll it out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin and use it to line a 20cm springform cake tin, leaving the excess hanging over the edges.
9 Now it’s time to start layering the pie. Start with all the leeks, then a grating of Lancashire cheese, then the beets, the greens, another layer of cheese, then the parsnips and finally the sweet potato mash. Finish by bringing the excess pastry over the top of the mash, twisting the ends and laying them on the mash in a haphazard fashion – the little rough bits of pastry will crisp up and look beautiful. The pastry may not cover the whole of the top, but a little vivid orange sweet potato poking through is OK. Brush with the beaten egg.
10 Bake the pie at the bottom of the oven for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool for 15–20 minutes, then remove from the cake tin and put in the middle of the table. Serve with lashings of gravy.
Sweet potato in ginger syrup
Ginger and sweet potato are the quintessential “sugar and spice and all things nice”, paired together here in an traditional southern Thai dessert.
Thailand: The Cookbook by Jean-Pierre Gabriel (Phaidon)
Serves 10
200g granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
3 sweet potatoes, cut into 4cm cubes
90g peeled and sliced fresh ginger (3cm-thick pieces)
1 Bring 950ml water to a boil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the sugar and salt and return to a boil for 1–2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and ginger and continue to boil for another 10–12 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Chilli-baked sweet potatoes
These make excellent companions for a platter of grilled chicken, a salad of marinated feta or a portion of chèvre chaud, but they’re just as good on their own – soft, savoury and gently spiced.
Under the Walnut Tree by Anna and Fanny Bergenström (Hardie Grant)
Serves 4-5
1kg sweet potatoes
5-6 shallots
6 garlic cloves
2 fresh chillies or 2-3 tsp ají
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
Sea salt flakes
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. Peel the shallots and cut them lengthwise into wedges. Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Deseed and thinly slice the chilli, if you are using fresh chillies.
2 Pour half the olive oil into the base of a large roasting tin. Arrange the sweet potato wedges, shallots and garlic in the tin. Scatter the thyme, rosemary and chilli over it all (or drizzle with ají). Lastly trickle the rest of the olive oil on top and sprinkle generously with sea salt flakes.
3 Bake for 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are nicely coloured. Check them from time or time: if they look dry, spoon over some of the liquid from the bottom of the tin.
Hazelnut, maple and sweet potato brownies
Sweet potato is a wonderful baking agent, put to work here in a lavish chocolate treat. The recipe calls for gluten-free baking powder, but if you don’t mind a bit of gluten, standard baking powder would work just as well.
Recipe by Eve O’Sullivan, the Cook team
Makes 12
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
150g dark chocolate, chopped
50g coconut oil, melted
100ml maple syrup
2 eggs
100g ground hazelnuts or almonds
½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 Put the sweet potato cubes in a saucepan of boiling water, then cook for around 10 minutes, until tender. Drain well, mash until smooth, then set aside to cool.
2 Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Put the chopped chocolate in a glass bowl over, but not in, a pan of simmering water, then gently melt. Take off the heat then stir the melted coconut oil and maple syrup into the chocolate.
3 Stir the chocolate mixture into the sweet potato, add the eggs, then fold in the ground hazelnuts, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Spoon into the tin, then bake for 30-35 minutes, until the brownie is crusted on the outside but still squidgy in the middle. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.
Sweet potato casserole
A velvety dish with a nutty crumble that underscores the natural sweetness of this blushing root by adding very little to it.
The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser (WW Norton & Co)
Serves 8
6 large sweet potatoes
6 tbsp brown sugar (a combination of light and dark works well)
2 large eggs, beaten
50ml orange juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
For the topping
3 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
110g packed brown sugar
160g chopped pecans
1Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Bake the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet until very tender – about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
2 When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half, scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash until smooth (you should have about 800-900g). Stir in the brown sugar, eggs, orange juice, butter, vanilla and salt. Put in a casserole dish.
3 To make the topping, combine the butter, brown sugar and pecans. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. Bake until the nuts are toasted and the casserole has puffed – about 30 minutes.
