Baked Sweet Potatoes with Gochujang and Miso Butter

, from Issue #79. July, 2018
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Gochujang and Miso Butter

I love making vegetable dishes that will easily hold their own on any dinner table. The orange flesh of these sweet potatoes is baked with a sweet, chilli, salty paste until tender, then topped with a cooling lime yoghurt and crisp roasted shallots.

Serves: 4–6

INGREDIENTS

5 medium-sized sweet potatoes, washed, cut in half lengthways (I used beauregard)
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons white miso (shiro)
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
1 tablespoon mirin
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
To serve
¾ cup thick plain yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
finely grated zest 1 large lime
½ cup purchased crisp roasted shallots
fresh coriander
lime wedges
sea salt and ground pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150°C (not fan bake).

Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score a diamond pattern on the cut side of each sweet potato.

Place on a lined roasting tray and, if necessary, lightly trim the base so they lie flat without falling over. Combine the butter with all the remaining ingredients.

Spread half the butter mixture over the cut side of each sweet potato. Bake for 40 minutes then spread over the remaining butter.

Continue to bake until the sweet potato are very soft when squeezed or pierced with a skewer. If the topping is getting very dark, cover the tray loosely with a piece of foil.

To serve: Stir the yoghurt, garlic and lime zest together and season with salt and pepper. Spoon over the warm sweet potato and sprinkle over the crisp shallots. Serve with coriander and lime wedges. Serves 4–6.