Smashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and sour cream

Following in the great tradition of crispy smashed potatoes, these spuds are twice cooked as well, but with different results – as a sweet potato, after all, is not a regular potato. Less crispy than its starchy friend, this dish is more about the creamy interior than the crispy exterior.

SERVES 4-6

750g small sweet potatoes 250g sour cream

2tbsp lime or lemon juice Salt and freshly ground

black pepper

2tbsp olive oil

90g unsalted butter

80ml pure maple syrup

45g uncooked buckwheat,

lightly toasted in a dry pan 2tbsp thyme leaves

Flaky sea salt

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Using a fork, prick the sweet potatoes all over, so they don’t explode in the oven. Place directly on a rack and bake for 50-60min until tender. Remove from the oven to cool.

2 Meanwhile, combine the sour cream and lime or lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. The mixture should taste fairly tart and salty. Spread across the base of a serving platter.

3 Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, use the palm of your hand to crush them slightly. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Working in batches, add the sweet potatoes, pressing lightly to make contact with the pan. Season with salt and pepper

and cook until lightly crisped and browned on one side.

Flip and continue to cook until browned and crisped on the other side. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a serving platter and repeat this process with the remaining potatoes.

4 Without wiping out the pan, add the maple syrup and cook until thickened and starting to caramelise – roughly 2min. Drizzle the sauce over the sweet potatoes and top with the toasted buckwheat, thyme and lots of flaky salt.