When baking sweet potatoes, the high heat causes their moisture to evaporate, and leaves their skin caramelized like candy – which is delicious – but overly sweet for me, so I like to mix them with spicy, sour or nutty flavors to reduce the sweetness.
Since discovering the combination of sweet potatoes, tahini butter (not paste), lemon juice, harissa, and walnuts, I eat them more often. This sweet potato hummus-like reminds me of chershi, a Tripolitan pumpkin spread, and a bit of Moroccan carrot salad.
You can puree them into a spread, or simply slice them in half and top them with the tahini, harissa, lemon juice and parsley. You can either bake the sweet potatoes in the oven, or steam them in a steaming basket in a pot.
One sweet potato a day will keep constipation away, sweet potatoes are a natural remedy for IBS or any digestion problem. They are high in vitamins A, B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, and carotenoids (which, like beta carotene, are supposed to be good for eyes and vision.)
You can mix potatoes and butternut squash or make the spread only with butternut squash. Also delicious. Use the spread in sandwiches, or put in a small container with quinoa, or with crackers/rice cakes on the side.
Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Spread
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes - or 1 medium butternut squash, or 1 sweet potato and ½ butternut squash.
- 1 tablespoons harissa - or 1 teaspoon smoked paprika mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tahini - if the consistency of the tahini butter is solid mix it with some vegetable or olive oil but NOT with water, it would change the consistency into a hard paste, which still be tasty but different
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt
- Green or red hot chili pepper - seeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 1 handful parsley leaves - washed and finely chopped
- 1 handful walnuts or almonds - roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Wash the sweet potatoes carefully and
- with a fork, pierce their skin 5-6 times. Place on baking sheet lined with foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes
- Peel the sweet potato skin and put them in a bowl. Add the harissa, tahini, lemon juice and salt, and mush everything together. Taste and correct seasoning.
- Serve on a flat or deep plate and garnish with the chili, parsley and walnuts or store in a container in the fridge up to 4 days.
