Sweet potato casserole ideas
by Gordon Hamilton
Sweet potatoes are not only incredibly tasty, they are also extremely nutritious and versatile. They are very popular cooked and served with lamb in North Africa, go well with a number of other vegetables and are even perfect in a wide variety of desserts. This article looks at one example of each of these ways of cooking sweet potatoes in casseroles and hopefully will get you thinking about some tasty ideas for your own creations.
Vegetarian sweet potato cheese crunch (serves two)
4 large sweet potatoes
1 large parsnip
Sea salt and white pepper
¼ stick butter
1 tsp freshly shredded basil leaves
½ cup shredded or grated hard cheese (cheddar is perfect)
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and parsnip in to about one inch pieces. Add to a large pot of lightly salted water and put on to the stove on a high heat. When the water boils, reduce to simmer for about twenty minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Drain them through a colander and return them to the empty pot with the butter. Season with salt and white pepper and mash. Stir through the basil leaves with a spoon.
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and level with a large knife or spoon. Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese together and scatter evenly over the top. Bake at 350F for twenty minutes or until the cheese crust is crisp and golden brown.
Sweet potato and lamb casserole (serves two)
4 lamb chops (bones in)
2 large sweet potatoes
4 small shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2 pints fresh chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 tsp freshly chopped mint leaves
2 tbsp soured cream
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Put your oven on to preheat to 350F. Pour the chicken stock in to a large pot and put it on a medium heat to reach a simmer. Add the vegetable oil to a large, non-stick frying pan and brown the lamb chops on both sides over a fairly high heat.
Peel the sweet potatoes and chop in to one inch pieces. Peel the shallots and garlic cloves. Finely slice the shallots and finely chop the garlic.
Lay the chops in the base of a large casserole dish and cover with the sweet potatoes, shallots and garlic. Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and one teaspoon only of the mint leaves. Pour in the chicken stock, add the lid and cook in the oven for one and a half hours.
When the casserole is ready, remove it from the oven and carefully take off the lid. Use a large slotted spoon to divide between two deep serving plates. Stir the remaining mint through the soured cream and use to garnish the dishes for service.
Sweet potato and marshmallow crumble (serves two)
4 large sweet potatoes
1 cup of marshmallows
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup softened butter
1 cup soft brown sugar
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Boil as before until soft then drain and mash. Carefully stir the marshmallows through the hot sweet potatoes and spread in the base of an ovenproof dish.
Cut the butter in to the flour and rub the mixture with your fingertips until it forms the consistency of breadcrumbs. Stir through the brown sugar and scatter the mix over the sweet potatoes and marshmallows. Bake at 375F for thirty minutes until the crumble is brown and crunchy. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and a dusting of grated chocolate.