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Blue serving dish with Sweet Poato Mash, ricotta, sage and pecan nuts

Sweet Potato Mash with Crisp Sage Leaves, Ricotta and Pecan Nuts

Sally Clarke
The sweetness of the mash is lightened by the ricotta, the sage leaves add a savoury note and the pecan nuts add a delicious nutty texture. 
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Side Dish, sides
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 515 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1.5 kg sweet potatoes
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoon light olive oil
  • 100 grams butter plus a little extra for buttering the dish
  • 1 bunch sage small leaves picked, large leaves chopped finely
  • 1 small red chilli finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed to a cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 50 grams pecans medium-finely chopped
  • 250 grams ricotta or fresh goat cheese

Instructions
 

  • Peel the sweet potatoes and place in a large pan of boilingsaltedwater, cover and simmer until tender to the centre. Drain in a colander and when cool enough to handle, cut roughly into smallish pieces.
  • Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over a medium heat until they are fragrant – do not allow to burn. Crush using a pestle and mortar or in a spice grinder.
  • Meanwhile heat the olive oil and half the butter in a pan until foaming. Fry the small sage leaves until crisp (though not too dark), remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
  • Add the remaining butter to the pan and add the ground cumin, chopped chilli and chopped sage, and cook until fragrant (approximately one minute). Remove from the heat, add the garlic and stir well.
  • Place the sweet potato in a large bowl and beat with a hand whisk or electric whisk until smooth (I put the sweet potato through the potato ricer). Little by little add almost all the seasoned butter ingredients until well amalgamated. Add salt to taste.
  • Preheat the oven to 175C
  • Brush an oven-proof dish with butter and spoon the potato mash in, levelling the top a little. Drizzle over any remaining melted butter and bake for 8-10 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and scatter the pecans with crumbled ricotta or goat cheese on the top, and continue to bake for a further 3-4 minutes or until piping hot.
  • Garnish with fried sage leaves and serve alongside a crisp green and bitter leaf salad or with roast pork, turkey or chicken.

Notes

You really need to add lots of chopped sage for the flavour to come through, hard to judge ‘a bunch’ and I probably underplayed it, will be trying again with more sage. Pecans and sweet potatoes is a marriage made in heaven though and the cumin and chilli add a nice spicy lift without overpowering the sweet potato.

Nutrition

Calories: 515kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 10gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 487mgPotassium: 964mgFiber: 9gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 36149IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 3mg