Following in the great tradition of crispy smashed potatoes, these potatoes are also twice cooked, but with different results – because a sweet potato, after all, is not a regular potato. Less crispy than its starchy friend, this is more about the creamy interior than the crispy exterior. You can, of course, use larger sweet potatoes, but I will say that the final product will not be as adorable.
Make Alison Roman’s smashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and sour cream
This recipe from Alison Roman's 'Nothing Fancy' cookbook is the ideal autumnal addition to your dinner party spread
Michael Graydon
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour
Ingredients
- 750g small sweet potatoes
- 250g sour cream
- 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 90g unsalted butter
- 80ml pure maple syrup
- 45g toasted buckwheat groats (kasha)
- 2 tbsp thyme leaves
- Flaky sea salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Using a fork, prick the sweet potatoes all over, so they don’t explode in the oven (which can happen). Place directly on an oven rack and bake until totally tender, 50–60 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.
- Meanwhile, combine the sour cream and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. The mixture should taste fairly tart and salty. Smear on the bottom of a serving platter.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, use the palm of your hand to crush them slightly.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the sweet potatoes, pressing lightly to make contact with the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly crisped and browned on one side, 3-4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until browned and crisped on the other side. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the serving platter and repeat with any stragglers.
- Without wiping out the pan, add the maple syrup and cook until thickened and starting to caramelise, about 2 minutes. Drizzle all over the sweet potatoes. Top with the buckwheat, thyme and lots of flaky salt.
Recipe from Alison Roman's 'Nothing Fancy'; photography by Michael Graydon. Published by Hardie Grant.
