Wednesday 11 March 2015

Sweet & Spicy!

Patate Dolce al Forno con Baharat, Erbe Miste & Miele
Baked Sweet Potato Gallette with Baharat, Mixed Herbs & Honey

 

Just 2 basic ingredients, some herbs and spices and about an hour of my time- that was what it took to make this healthy and delicious sweet potato dish.

It was low in fat and high in flavor, a little different to the usual potato or sweet potato dishes that we usually prepare... and that made it excellent for a number of reasons already!


 

Baharat is such a wonderful spice mix, a blend of black pepper, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg and paprika that is wonderfully rich and delicious, but also mild and aromatic... which is why I decided that I need to use it more often... beginning right this very evening!

 

What could be easier, more economical or straightforward than this ingredient list- 2 sweet potatoes, 1 onion, fresh oregano, parsley and thyme, salt, pepper, a little honey, a good olive oil... and of course some baharat spice.

 

This kind of dish often relies on butter, or cream, or both! It often calls for milk or cream... and yes, all of those things can be delicious. But I like to be careful about excessive fat in my diet and I am more interested in the flavors of the ingredients themselves than in the enhancing properties of fat... so I tried out a new way to prepare this. It IS possible if you want to- and you can still enjoy great food at the same time!

 

You can decide whether you prefer to peel or to simply wash and scrub your sweet potatoes- but I like to leave on the peel- for color, flavor and fiber. But that's just me!

Slice the potatoes as thinly as you possibly can- and the onion too. This is a bit of work- unless you have some funky kitchen gadget that I don't have... but once you have done it- that is the end of the hard work!


 

I then put the thinly sliced potato and the onion into a steamer and let them steam away for 10 minutes.

 

10 Minutes later, they have become almost transparent and are half done... which means you are already ahead of the game!

Time now to turn on the oven and grab your frying pan to start putting your little masterpiece together!


 

Add just a little olive oil to the pan and then lay out a layer of potato and onion slices. sprinkle with whole leaves of the herbs, salt, pepper and baharat and just a drop or two of additional oil if you wish.

Continue building up layers of sweet potato slices, herbs and spice , then turn on the stove, on a moderate flame and let them cook/steam away for 10 minutes or so.

After that time, you have a build-up of steam that will moisten the potatoes, herbs and spices and make them all blend together. Now transfer the pan to the oven and let it bake for around 15-20 minutes at 180°C


 

Last, but not least, add a light drizzle of honey- just a little bit! And then pop it back into the oven, under the broiler, for 2-3 minutes, just to make that little bit extra golden, extra delicious... and perfect and ready to serve!


Honey and spice are always nice! The resulting flavors? Off the scales I would say! Mild but spicy and delicious at the same time! Not greasy, crispy and light... just good, simple but flavorful food! What more could anybody want?

 

I have to admit that it did not cling and hold itself together as well as I hoped it would, so the "trick" that I used and what I recommend you do too, was simply to place a plate on top of the pan, turn it upside down and then transfer it to my serving dish by doing the same again and placing that on top of the plate in turn before inverting it.

It would have been a pity to have not been able to serve it up looking its very best! And yes, it tasted every bit as good as it looks! So do try it and do enjoy!

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