Roasted sweet potatoes with harissa yogurt, toasted nuts and seeds

We are always looking for new recipes that highlight our nuts, but more importantly recipes that are healthy, but still feed our creative soul. These sweet potato jackets stuffed with harissa yogurt and topped with toasted nuts definitely fills the bill. 

Ingredients

sweet potatoes 4 medium, washed 

yogurt 4 tbsp

sunflower seeds 2 tbsp

pumpkin seeds 2 tsp

blanched hazelnuts 2 tsp

olive oil

coriander leaves a handful

red chillies 5, pierced with a knife

olive oil

garlic 5 cloves, peeled

cumin seeds 2 tsp, toasted and ground 

coriander seeds 2 tsp, toasted and ground

sherry vinegar 1 tbsp

coriander chopped to make 3 tbsp

Method

STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a small knife. Put on a tray on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes – 2 hours, depending how big they are. They should feel soft to touch with a little give when they are ready.

STEP 2

To make the harissa, fry the chillies in 3cm oil for 2-3 minutes until almost burnt (they might spit a little, but piercing them will stop them bursting). Put in a bowl, seal tightly with clingfilm, and allow to cool.

STEP 3

When completely cooled, peel off the skins and slit the chillies to remove the seeds. You just want the roasted flesh of the chilli. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the flesh with the garlic, cumin and coriander until there are no lumps. Stir in the vinegar and add oil to make a smooth paste. Add the chopped coriander and season.

STEP 4

Mix the yogurt with 2 heaped tbsp harissa. Toast the seeds and nuts in a dry frying pan until lightly golden, taking care not to burn.Add a pinch of salt and leave to cool.

STEP 5

When the potatoes are ready, split in half lengtways and put them on plates. Add a spoonful of harissa yogurt into each potato, then drizzle over some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then finish with a good sprinkling of the mixed seeds and nuts and some more coriander, roughly torn on top.