Italian

This Darren Robertson recipe is a sure-fire way to guarantee crisp sweet potatoes every time

Name: Roasted hasselback sweet potatoes with hempseed pesto
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /italian
Ingredients: 5 (200g each) sweet potatoes, skin on; 1 bunch basil, leaves picked; 200g semi-dried tomatoes; 1 tsp sesame seeds; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp toasted fennel seeds; 1 garlic clove; Juice of 1 lemon; 1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; 90g hemp seeds, toasted; 1/2 bunch rocket, stalks removed; 150g feta, crumbled

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by Darren Robertson

Chef, author, tv presenter and co-owner of the Three Blue Ducks restaurants

Jul 20, 2019

These would go perfectly as a side with red meat.

5 (200g each) sweet potatoes, skin on
1 bunch basil, leaves picked
200g semi-dried tomatoes
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp toasted fennel seeds
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
90g hemp seeds, toasted
1/2 bunch rocket, stalks removed
150g feta, crumbled

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 200°C (fan-forced). Cut slices into each potato, 3-6mm apart (do not cut all the way through). Place sweet potato on a large oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast for 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes or until cooked and a little crispy on the outside.
2.

Meanwhile, to make the pesto, place basil, semi- dried tomatoes, spices and sesame seeds, garlic, lemon and olive oil in a food processor, and whiz until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, season and stir through hempseeds. Set aside.
3.

Remove sweet potato from oven and transfer to a platter. Spoon over hemp pesto, and scatter with rocket and feta. Drizzle with extra olive oil and scatter with sea salt flakes to serve.