Pairing sweet potato with a sauce made with tomato, lime and cardamom is a case study in how great flavor is delivered in a dish. Roasting a sweet tomato deepens the sweetness by long and slow cooking. Thanks to the enzyme activity that attacks the starch and breaks it down to maltose (a sugar made up of two glucose molecules). It’s one proven way to develop the depth of flavor. I want to learn more and cook from Ottolenghi’s new cookbook Flavor, which focuses on the process and produce which enhance flavor.
Don’t want to give the impression that this is a dessert; it’s a savory dish by all measures. The sweetness is tempered and balanced with the heat of green chili and the acidity of tomato and lime. The end result is a brilliant combination making the dish a flavor bomb. Again, I’m using the term, flavor bomb, since I am lost for words to describe what I’m tasting.
I’d make the slow roasted potatoes as well as the tomato, lime and cardamom sauce again. But I’d also pay more attention to the process. First, I did not roast the sweet potatoes at 500°F as I used a conventional steam oven with the maximum temperature set at 437°F. Next time, I’ll fire up my heavy-duty bread-baking oven to 500°F. The other adjustment I’d make is to choose sweet potatoes which are thinner and longer so that I can cut them in smaller rounds. That means even cooking and better browning around the edges. For the time being, imperfection is more than fine. Flavor is everything here!
Sweet Potato in Tomato, Lime and Cardamom Sauce
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium sweet potatoes, skin on and cut into 1 inch/ 2 1/2 cm thick rounds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- salt and pepper
- TOMATO, LIME AND CARDAMOM SAUCE:
- 5 tbsp/ 75ml olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped ( not crushed)
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped (deseeded for less heat)
- table salt
- 2 small shallots (100g), finely chopped
- 1 x 14 oz/ 400g can of plum tomatoes, blitzed in a food processor or blender until smooth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp superfine sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 limes finely grate the zest to get 1 tsp, and juice to get 1 tbsp; then cut the remainder into wedge
- 1 cup/ 240 ml water
- 2 tsp dill finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500°F/ 240°C Fan. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
ROAST THE SWEET POTATOES: In a large bowl, mix the sweet potato with the olive oil, maple syrup, cardamom, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Spread out on a large, parchment-lined baking tray, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the rounds are cooked through and the undersides are very nicely browned. This might take longer if your sweet potato rounds are particularly large, or less time if they are smaller, so do keep an eye on them.
MAKE THE GARLIC CHILI PASTE/OIL AND THE TOMATO LIME CARDAMOM SAUCE: Put the oil, garlic, chilli and 1/8 teaspoon of salt into a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium heat. Fry very gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the garlic is soft and fragrant ( you don’t want the garlic to brown or become crisp, so turn the heat down if necessary). Transfer half the oil, chilli and garlic to a small bowl, leaving the rest in the pan. Add the shallots to the same pan on a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes , stirring often, until soft and translucent. Add the blitzed tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, cardamom, cumin, lime zest and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Add 250ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 5 minutes.
COOK SWEET POTATOES IN THE SAUCE: Transfer the sweet potatoes, browned side up, to the pan of sauce (not all of them will fit in the sauce, but that’s fine, just pile them up haphazardly). Turn the heat to low, cover with the lid and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
FINISH WITH THE LIME GARLIC AND CHILI PASTE: Mix the dill and lime juice with the reserved garlic chili paste/oil and frizzle over the sweet potatoes. Serve from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside.
Notes
Adapted from Ottolenghi's Flavor
1 Comment
Kim Tracy
November 15, 2020 at 4:07 pmI think flavor bomb is the perfect description! I can see a rather unctuous layer of flavor there. So pretty!
I giggle at the thought of shopping for sweet potatoes. They sure don’t tend to come in uniform sizes. I think the biggest challenge in cooking with them is finding like-sized potatoes.