Nigel Slater’s recipe for sweet potatoes and kimchi

Nigel Slater

Sweet, orange-flesh potatoes; fiery, brick-red kimchi… this is one of those ridiculously simple suppers that is also intensely satisfying. The balance of heat and sweet is dazzling, but choose a kimchi whose heat is right for you.

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Wipe 4 medium to large sweet potatoes and put them in a baking dish, setting them slightly apart so the heat can get round them. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on their size. They are ready when a skewer will slide through their flesh with ease. There will possibly be a bead or two of caramelised sugar leaking from the skin.

Split the skins open, then spoon 2 tbsp of kimchi into each. Serves 2

And another way with the same ingredients: steam 300g of peeled and cubed maris piper or similar potatoes and 600g of peeled and cubed sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes until tender to the point a knife. Mash until smooth using a food mixer or a potato masher (but not a food processor, which will turn them to glue).

Finely chop 3 tbsp of kimchi and stir in. Chop 15g of coriander leaves and stems and add to the mash with 3 tbsp of plain flour. Flour your hands very thoroughly, then make the mixture into 12 small cakes. Chill for 30 minutes before frying carefully (they are fragile) in ½cm of groundnut oil in a frying pan until crisp on the bottom. Don’t move them until the underside is crisp. Carefully flip the cakes over and cook the other side.

I like to accompany either of these with a dish of greens. Spinach, lightly steamed, then tossed with a little butter and grated lemon zest is a favourite, as is a tangle of grated carrots and roughly chopped parsley, dressed with orange juice, zest and a splash of white wine vinegar.

Courtesy: theguardian