This dish has become a genuine showstopper on our table. Roasted sweet potato on a billowy whipped tahini yoghurt base, finished with a spicy honey drizzle and toasted pine nuts — it looks impressive, tastes extraordinary, and most of the work can be done the day before. It works equally well as a vegetarian centrepiece or alongside slow-cooked meat. It is a bit of RecipeTin Eats and Ottolenghi

SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH WHIPPED TAHINI AND PINE NUTS

Ingredients

Sweet potato

  • 1.5kg sweet potatoes, whole, unpeeled
  • 2½ tbsp honey
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Whipped tahini yoghurt sauce

  • 310g (1¼ cups) plain full-fat yoghurt, homemade is good
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt

Spicy honey drizzle

  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Pinch black pepper

To finish

  • 4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

  1. Bake sweet potatoes whole in their skins at 200°C until nearly tender, about 40 minutes — do not fully cook, they will finish under the grill. Refrigerate overnight once cool.
  2. Whisk together all tahini sauce ingredients, refrigerate until needed.
  3. Mix all spicy honey drizzle ingredients together and set aside.
  4. Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden. Cool and set aside.
  5. When ready to serve, peel cold sweet potatoes and slice into wedges. Toss in honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange on a tray and place under a hot grill until caramelised and sticky, about 5 minutes. Watch closely.
  6. Remove tahini sauce from the fridge and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk vigorously until it transforms into a billowy, whipped cream-like texture. Work quickly and spread across a large flat serving plate immediately.
  7. Pile sweet potato wedges on top, drizzle spicy honey sauce over, scatter pine nuts and coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

The whipping step is the magic of this dish — it only works if the sauce is warmed slightly first. Microwave 30 seconds then whisk hard for about a minute. It will transform from a thick paste to something light and airy. Spread it immediately as it firms back up quickly.

If you have a smoker running, the pre-cooked sweet potato wedges can go in cold for 20–30 minutes with fruit wood (plum or apricot) before the grill step. The subtle smoke adds a wonderful depth that works particularly well alongside slow-cooked meat. Don’t over-smoke — you want complexity, not a BBQ flavour.

Honey is used throughout in place of maple syrup. If you have maple syrup use 1 tbsp for the sweet potato roasting and 3 tbsp for the drizzle.

Crispy chickpeas make a great alternative or addition to pine nuts. Drain a 400g tin, spread on a tray and dry in a 220°C oven for 10 minutes, then toss with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper and roast a further 15–20 minutes until they rattle on the tray. Can be made the day before and re-crisped for 7 minutes at 180°C before serving.

Toasted almonds work well in place of pine nuts.