Today we are going to talk about the god of dinners, sweet potatoes. Don’t know what you want for dinner? Sweet Potato. I want a carb but that’s a vegetable? Sweet Potato. Something to fill out this curry? Sweet Potato. I want it to go with practically everything? Sweet Potato.
My usual fall back when I really don’t know what to eat is some sort of roasting (of a sweet potato, but then I think given the subject matter today, this goes without saying). Today’s dish is a delicious variation on that theme, and a meal I eat in some form basically every week.
A whole roasted sweet potato, split and filled with a sauté of a greens and beans (most commonly kale and white beans), maybe throw in a carrot, and then topped with some sauce or hummus. My favourite is basically some variety of Isa‘s cashew cheeses. But then I totally think some whizzed avocado would aso go well with this. Maybe with some black beans, Mexican spices and a squeeze of lime. You just want something creamy really to tie everything together. The sweet potato is your oyster.
The roasting of the sweet potato takes a while but is totally hands-off cooking time. If you know you won’t have much time, roast in advance and then heat up whilst you sauté away. There are a few components in this meal to be sure, but they can all be made at the same time.
Sweet Potato Time
- 2 Sweet Potatoes
- 2 tablespoons of oil, divided
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced (optional)
- 1 can of white beans or chickpeas
- 1 bushel of Kale, destemmed and shredded
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Juice of half a lemon (or more!)
- Some type of sauce (variations on this are my favourite)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
1) Preheat your oven to 200C
2) Scrub your sweet potatoes and then use your hands to rub in about half a tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place onto baking tray and into oven. These will take approximately 40-50 minutes, dependent of course on the size of your sweet potato.
3) Whilst the sweet potato is roasting, blend up any components of your sauce if necessary
4) Approximately 20 minutes before your sweet potato is done, add one tablespoon of oil to a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat
5) Add onions and salt to taste. Add in carrots at this point if using.
6) Saute until the onion is translucent and starting to brown. Proceed to add in the white beans and kale
7) Leave the white beans and kale for approximately five minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to heat the white beans, and preferably start to get some crispy bits of kale
8) Add in the minced garlic and lemon juice. Stir and taste. If the kale is underdone, give everything a bit more time. Don’t forget to add more salt if necessary.
9) When everything is ready, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and slice lengthwise. I like to mash up the insides a bit. Place the saute on top and then finish with the sauce.
Notes
In many ways, this is more of a guideline then a recipe. There is obviously heaps of room for customization. Leftover curry- use that. Wanting something fresher? Avocado and black beans. Use this as a starting off point and maybe you too will be eating it once a week!
And don’t forget to taste. Salt. Lemons. Vinegars. Herbs. Spices. 🙂
Cashews and Coriander 