As a student, the phrase cheap and cheerful rings true in so many different ways. It can bring a spring to your step and fill your belly with joy, especially when it comes to food.
A vegetable that is super-versatile as well as cheap and filling, is the humble sweet potato. It can be used in a myriad of different ways and should be a staple in any student diet.
With that being said here are five recipes where sweet potato is the main star.
1. Jacket sweet potato
- Preheat your oven to 220C, wrap your sweet potato in tinfoil and bake for 45 mins.
- Meanwhile, mash one avocado with a squeeze of lime juice in a small bowl, then stir a tsp of chilli powder, 2 chopped tomatoes, a dash of coriander and half a chopped up red onion.
- Cut the potatoes in half and top with some kidney beans and home made guacamole. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing over.
2. Sweet potato fries
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- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Put the sweet potato fries on a baking tray and mix with some rapeseed oil and cayenne pepper. Bake in the oven for 20 mins.
3. Sweet potato and lentil soup
- Put the 2 tsp curry powder into a large saucepan, then toast over a medium heat for 2 mins. Add a lug of olive oil, stirring as the spice sizzles in the pan.
- Tip in the 1 onion, an apple grated, 2 cloves of garlic, coriander stalks and grated cube of ginger, season, then gently cook for 5 mins, stirring every so often.
- Meanwhile, peel, then grate the sweet potatoes. Tip into the pan with 1.2l of vegetable stock, 100g lentils, 300ml milk and seasoning, then simmer, covered, for 20 mins. Blend until smooth using a stick blender. Stir in the lime juice, check the seasoning and serve, topped with roughly-chopped coriander leaves.
4. Sweet potato and chorizo quesadillas
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pierce the 1 potatoe a few times and put on a baking tray. Cook for 50 mins until really soft. Leave to cool slightly.
- Scoop the sweet potato flesh out of the skins into a bowl. Mash with some coriander, season and gently fold through with a quarter block of feta. Heat a large griddle pan.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture over half of a tortilla, top with chorizo slices and fold the other side over. Cook on the hot griddle pan for 3 mins each side until golden. Cut the tortilla in half and serve.
5. Sweet potato mash
- Peel and boil 3 or 4 potatoes in a pot of boiling water at a medium heat for 45 mins until soft.
- Prick with a fork to make sure they are soft.
- Mash up and add a a tbsp of paprika, along with plenty of black pepper and 4 spring onions, diced.
