I've been really getting into sweet potato in the last year because Fergal loves it. One of my favourite ways to 'dress it up' for the adults is to roast them whole and stuff 'em. In this case it's some browned minced (ground) beef or lamb but I also love to use chickpeas for a hearty veggie version.
enough for: 2
takes: 60 minutes
2 medium sweet potatoes
450g (1lb) ground (minced) beef
4 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 bag baby spinach leaves
1. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Scrub sweet potato and place on a baking tray or other ovenproof dish.
2. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until sweet potato are nice and tender.
3. While the sweet potato are roasting brown beef in a little oil in a large frying pan on a high heat. Season with salt.
4. Then make the sauce by stirring together the tahini, lemon juice and 4 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Season that with salt and possibly a little more lemon if you feel like it.
5. When the sweet potato are cooked, divide between 2 plates and slice lengthwise down the middle (not cutting through completely). Open out the cavity with your fingers or a spoon then divide the meat between the two sweet potatoes. Drizzle over tahini sauce and serve with baby spinach on the side.
Variations
vegetarian / vegan - replace beef with cooked chickpeas or lentils. You might like to add some browned onion for extra flavour.
spiced - add 2 teaspoons baharat (lebanese spice blend), ras el hanout (moroccan spice blend) or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and coriander.
hot! - add some chopped chilli to the beef while cooking. Or serve with your favourite chilli oil or hot sauce.
no tahini? - tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. You might need to go to a health food store or middle eastern grocery store to find it. Almond butter or cashew butter would work instead. OR make a sauce by seasoning plain natural greek style yoghurt and forgetting the lemon juice.
carb-lovers / more substantial - serve with warm pita bread, flat bread or tortillas. Or toss in some cooked chickpeas or lentils with the meat.
more veg - soften an onion before cooking the meat. Add chopped zucchini, eggplant, mushroom or red capsicum (bell peppers) to the meat to cook through. Serve with tabbouleh or add extra raw veg like snow peas or chopped red capsicum (bell peppers) to the baby spinach.
short on time - roast sweet potato ahead OR replace sweet potato with cooked rice or quinoa.
low carb - stuffed eggplant like this mexican version.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
sweet potatoes – will keep for months in the pantry in a brown paper bag or sack.
ground (minced) beef - freeze it.
tahini - I keep mine in the pantry but will keep longer in the fridge if open.
lemon – whole lemon will keep wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.
baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Cook sweet potato and beef as per the recipe and keep them separate from the sauce and the baby spinach. Beef and sweet potato will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, reheat sweet potato and beef in the oven (200C / 400F) for 10-15 minutes then serve with tahini sauce and baby spinach.