From salads to nutritious comfort meals, try these three ways with sweet potatoes

Add some nutrients and bright colours to your diet with these creative ways to use sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes may be an acquired taste to some, but they’re filled to the brim with vitamins and nutrients.

Take a look at three ways in which you can use the autumnal/winter veg below, with more ideas available from previous recipes in the series here.

Sweet potato and celery salad

(Serves: 6)

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potato
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red chillies, finely sliced
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 120ml rice vinegar
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 80g salted peanuts
• Small bunch of mint, chopped
• Small bunch of coriander, chopped

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Leaving the skins on, cut the sweet potatoes into large chunks and place on a baking tray.
2. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft and going crisp. Set aside to cool.
3. Finely slice the chillies and the celery stalks and chop the mint and coriander.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ginger for the dressing.
5. To serve, assemble the celery and sweet potato on a plate and top with the fresh red chilli, salted peanuts, mint and coriander. Drizzle over the dressing.

Recipe from lovecelery.co.uk

Sweet Potato Topped with Ricotta, Celery and Radish

(Serves 1)

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 1 tbsp ricotta
• 1 stick celery, sliced
• 3 radishes, sliced
• 2 small tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tbsp pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Scrub the potato well and wipe a little oil over the surface.
2. Cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of the potato), until soft all the way through.
3. Once cooked, take the potato out of the oven and set aside to cool a little. While the potato is cooling season the ricotta and slice the vegetables.
4. Toast the seeds in a dry frying pan until they start to pop. When the potato is cool enough to handle, make a deep slit lengthways and prise open.
5. Season inside the potato and carefully mash the potato flesh.
6. Dollop the ricotta on top then top with the vegetables, season again and scatter with seeds.

Recipe from loveradish.co.uk

Mexican Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Asparagus

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 tsp hot, smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 x 250g bundle asparagus
• 1 small tin sweetcorn, drained
• Sriracha
• Tahini
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Prick the sweet potatoes all over and put on a baking tray lined with tin foil. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or so, until you can easily pierce with a knife.
2. Cooking time will depend upon the size of the sweet potatoes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.
3. Add the red onion and sauté for five minutes or so. Add the spices and cook for a further minute.
4. Cut the asparagus into 5cm lengths. Add the red pepper and asparagus to the pan, reserving the tips, and cook for a further five minutes. Add the sweetcorn for the last two minutes to heat it through.
5. When the sweet potatoes are almost ready, put the asparagus tips on the baking sheet with the sweet potatoes, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil and roast for five to 10 minutes.
6. To assemble, split the sweet potatoes lengthways, fill with the mixture from the pan.
7. Top with the roasted asparagus tips and drizzle with a little sriracha and tahini. Add coriander on top.

Recipe from enjoyasparagus.com

More in this series…