SWEET POTATO CANNELLONI

Prep time 10 mins Cooking time 20 mins plus baking time Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

3 medium sweet potatoes (1.2kg) 500g fresh ricotta

2 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme

80g finely grated Parmesan

80g finely grated pecorino

100g sourdough, crust removed, torn into small pieces

40g pine nuts

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1½ tbsp olive oil

25g flaked Parmesan, extra 2 tbsp fresh thyme sprigs, extra CHEESE SAUCE

250ml heavy cream

90g coarsely grated Cheddar

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C. Place a sweet potato on an oven tray. Bake for 30 mins or until tender; cool. Reduce heat to 160C.

Meanwhile, peel remaining sweet potatoes. Using a mandolin, cut sweet potatoes lengthways into 3mm thin slices. Trim slices to 5.5cmx12cm rectangles; you will need 36 rectangles.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Season. Add half the sweet potato slices; boil for 11/2 mins or until softened. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; place on a tray to cool. Repeat with remaining sweet potato slices. When cool enough to handle, remove skin from baked sweet potato. Add baked sweet potato to a processor with ricotta; process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in egg, green onion, herbs and half the cheeses. Season. Oil a 22cm x26cm roasting pan. Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling at the short end of a sweet potato slice; roll to enclose filling. Place, seamside down, in pan. Repeat with remaining slices and filling, until pan is filled, in a single layer. Combine sourdough, pine nuts and nutmeg in a bowl with 1 tbsp of the oil and remaining cheese. Sprinkle over sweet potato cannelloni.

Bake for 15 mins or until top is golden and crunchy. Meanwhile make cheese sauce. Stir ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, without boiling, for 34 mins or until cheddar melts and sauce thickens slightly. Season. Serve warm.