One of the most overlooked ingredients in the culinary world, these recipes show how sweet potatoes can be the star of the show
Beetroot and sweet potato hash with crispy skinned angelfish
Serves 6–8
Ingredients
Hash:
Oil, for frying
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-size orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium beetroots, peeled and cubed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 red chillies, chopped (or 2 teaspoons crushed chilli flakes)
2 teaspoons honey
Juice and grated peel of 1 lime
Salt and black pepper
Fish:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4–6 fillets (about 1kg) angelfish, skin on
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
Method
- Heat a glug of oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry onion until soft, about 5–8 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add sweet potato, beetroot and herbs and fry until crispy, about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add paprika, chilli, honey and lime.
- Cook for 5 minutes, season and remove from heat.
- Heat butter and oil in a separate pan over medium-high heat.
- Season fish and fry skin-side down for 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Flip fish and fry for 2–3 minutes, until just cooked through.
- Squeeze lemon juice over fish and scatter with grated peel. Serve with hash.
Something fishy
Substitute angelfish for any firm white fish. Snoek or red snapper will work too.
Sweet potato tart with crispy nions
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 large (about 1kg) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons paprika (optional)
Salt and black pepper
1 packet (400g) puff pastry, defrosted
Flour, for dusting
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
½ packet (250g) brown lentils, cooked
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon ground coriander
Milk, for brushing
1 bunch spinach, stems removed and leaves shredded
3 onions, sliced
For serving:
Plain yoghurt Handful fresh coriander
Method
- Place sweet potato cubes on a baking tray and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with paprika and season.
- Roast in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes, then remove and set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll pastry out to 4mm thickness. Place on a baking tray.
- Score a 1.5cm border around the pastry (taking care not to cut all the way through) and prick the base with a fork.
- Bake at 200°C for 8–10 minutes.
- Spread with tomato sauce, top with roasted sweet potato and lentils, sprinkle with spices and brush border with milk.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden.
- Steam spinach and squeeze out moisture.
- Fry onions in remaining oil until golden and crispy.
- Top pastry with spinach and onions.
- Serve with dollops of yoghurt and garnish with fresh coriander.
Fast fact
One sweet potato provides the full daily recommended amount of vitamin A, which boosts your immune system.
Thai red curry sweet potato fritters
Serves 6–8
Ingredients
2 /3 cup (180ml) chickpea flour (or regular flour)
2 tablespoons flaxseed flour (you can blitz flaxseeds to make it yourself)
3 medium (about 800g) sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
½ cup water
1 onion, grated
2 spring onions, whites sliced (keep green tops for the salad)
1 tablespoon ginger, garlic & chilli paste
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
Small handful each fresh coriander and mint, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and black pepper
Oil, for frying
Sriracha sauce, for serving
For the salad:
1 cup cooked quinoa
¼ each red cabbage and green cabbage, shredded
Green tops of 2 spring onions, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper
Method
- Combine the chickpea flour and flaxseed flour in a bowl. Add grated sweet potato and coat with flour.
- Pour in water and mix well to create a thin batter.
- Mix in onion, spring onion whites, both pastes, herbs and lemon juice. Season well.
- Set aside for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry large dollops of batter for 2–3 minutes per side.
- Drain fritters on kitchen paper.
- Combine salad ingredients in a bowl.
- Place fritters on salad and serve with sriracha sauce on the side.
Braaied hasselback sweet potatoes
Serves 6–8
Ingredients
6–8 large sweet potatoes, unpeeled
Salt and black pepper
Blue cheese butter:
1 pack (100g) blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup (125ml) butter, softened
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
Method
- Slice each potato hasselback-style (as pictured above), scoring the flesh deeply at 2mm intervals. Take care not to cut all the way through.
- Combine blue cheese butter ingredients in a bowl.
- Fill incisions in potatoes with half the butter and dot the remaining butter on top.
- Season each potato and wrap in foil.
- Place directly onto medium coals and cook for 20–30 minutes, turning regularly.
- Serve hot potatoes immediately.
Recipes and styling: Fresh Living Magazine
Also read: Hearty one-pot meals for the whole family
