Roasted sweet potatoes have a naturally sweet and earthy flavour with a soft and tender texture, balanced perfectly by the deep savoury flavours of the garlic tahini sauce!
So delicious when served for lunch with Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup!
There’s a lot to love about sweet potatoes, and even more when they are roasted! Fluffy on the inside with heaps of natural sweetness, they are a flavour explosion that I just can’t get enough of.
Because they have so much flavour on their own, these treats are amazingly fun to pair with other flavours and texture. I’ve played around with a creamy, tangy cheese bed and a savoury sauce to turn a few humble ingredients into a truly stunning dish.
Whether eaten as a main course or side dish, this roasted sweet potato recipe is sure to impress. So grab an apron and let’s get going!
Roast sweet potatoes
Roasting is always a fantastic way to make sweet potatoes, as it is with so many vegetables. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness and enhances their flavour, while also preserving their nutritional value.
When sweet potatoes are roasted, their natural sugars caramelise. This results in a deliciously sweet and slightly nutty taste. Roasting also gives sweet potatoes a slightly crispy exterior while keeping the interior tender and fluffy, making them a delightful addition to any meal.
Garlic tahini sauce
Looking for a tasty and versatile sauce? Garlic tahini sauce needs to be on your rotation. It combines nutty and savoury flavours with a creamy texture that makes is suitable for all sorts of uses.
The magic comes from combining garlic with tahini. Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and has a rich, slightly bitter taste. Garlic adds a pungent and slightly spicy kick.
To make a good thing even better, the sauce has a beautifully creamy and smooth texture. It’s amazing as a dip and because it is not too thick, it works perfectly for drizzling over something else, like I’ve done here with sweet potato.
Use it as a dip for vegetables, crackers or bread, as a dressing for salads, or drizzled on top of roasted vegetables. It’s amazingly versatile!
Labneh with Moroccan spice
To really put this recipe over the top, I’ve placed the sweet potatoes on a pillowy bed of labneh. Labneh is a Middle Eastern cheese that is made my straining yoghurt.
It’s actually very simple to make. Yoghurt is placed in a cheesecloth and left to drain overnight or over several hours. This leaves behind a thick and tangy cheese.
Labneh can be the basis for some amazing dips and toppings. It can also act as a substitute for cream cheese or sour cream in recipes.
Because labneh has a fairly neutral flavour, it can be seasoned with all sorts of herbs and spices. I’ve chosen to add a Moroccan spice mix, which to me is a great partner for the sweetness of the potato and the savoury sauce.
Recipe tips and notes
- Any other type of potato or yams will work wonderfully with this recipe! For tips on using white potatoes, check out my Jacket Potato recipe!
- Choose sweet potatoes that are of a similar size so they cook at the same rate. If your potatoes are bigger than mine they may require more time. Don’t rush this – make sure they are done all the way through before taking out of the oven.
- Pierce the skin of the sweet potatoes before adding them to the oven. This prevents them from exploding by allowing steam to be released.
- Let your sweet potatoes rest after removing the from the oven. Not only will they be very hot when first removed, a short rest will help them become even softer and gives time for flavours to develop.
- Because we aren’t making a lot of the garlic tahini sauce, it may be too little for many blenders to mix effectively. A small bowl is ideal, such as with a Bullet blender. If you don’t have one, I would recommend doubling the recipe and storing half for later use.
- When I’m serving a baked potato, I slice lengthwise down the top of the potato and squeeze in from each edge. This pushes the inside out through the top while fluffing it up.
More roasted vegetable recipes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Tahini Sauce
Pillowy soft sweet potatoes with a savoury garlic tahini sauce on a bed of creamy cheese.
Ingredients
- 500 g/17.5 oz full fat Greek yoghurt
- 2 teaspoon ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
- 4 sweet potatoes, medium
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
For the Green Tahini Sauce
- 125 ml/1/2 cup tahini
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 1 clove garlic
- 20g/1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2-3 tablespoon wter
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start a day ahead to make labneh. Set a sieve over a large bowl, then line a sieve with two layers of cheesecloth. Scrape the full fat Greek yogurt into the lined sieve, cover it with the overhanging ends of the cheesecloth and let the yogurt drain into the bowl for 24 hours on a kitchen counter. The following day it will change into the consistency of soft cheese. Refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Brush the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until they are very soft and very easily pierced with a knife.
- Make the green tahini sauce while the potatoes are roasting. In a blender combine the tahini paste, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, fresh parsley and water, blend until smooth. You might need to add more water to achieve desired consistency. Salt to taste.
- To serve spread the labneh over a serving platter, sprinkle with ras el hanout spice mix and sea salt, then top with baked sweet potatoes cut in half lengthwise and drizzle with the green tahini sauce liberally.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 852Total Fat: 66gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 53gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 399mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 12gSugar: 8gProtein: 25g
Nutritional information is calculated using third-party services and is only a guideline. There may be some variations based on product brands and cooking methods. If you are on a restricted diet, it is recommended that you supplement this info with your own research.
Leave a Reply