17. Baked Sweet Potato and Cranberry Chutney

      

Photo Jim Wilson, N.Y.T

Sweet potatoes are at their best now and are at the top of my winter healthy foods list. They are very versatile. You can steam, boil, fry, roast or bake them. 

I like to use them instead of a white potato for roasting, but I particularly like to bake them in their skins as in this dish which I have based on a Kim Severson recipe in the New York Times.  It is so simple to prepare and, served with spicy cranberry chutney and a dollop of sour cream, it makes an excellent accompaniment to roast chicken, turkey or ham. I also enjoy it as a main veggie dish on a meat-free Monday. Bake in its skin which has three times the amount of nutrients than the flesh. 

The sweet potato packs a truly powerful nutritional punch! One baked, medium-sized sweet potato contains 438% of your daily value of vitamin A in the form of the cancer inhibiter beta-carotene, 37% of your vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), iron, manganese, lutein, zeaxanthin and copper. All for just 95 calories! 

Ingredients: Serves 4 people as a side dish. Double the ingredients for a main veggie  dish.    2 sweet potatoes; 2tsp. olive oil; 2tsp. sea salt; 2tsp. cracked black pepper; ½ cup sour cream.

Method: Preparation and cooking time 80 mins.    Heat oven to 350F/120C/Gas Mark 4. Wash sweet potatoes and dry. Rub each with oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 70 minutes or until soft in the centre. Remove, cut in half lengthways. Top with 1tbs. sour cream and 1tbs. chutney. Serve immediately while hot.

For my favourite spicy cranberry chutney recipe go to my earlier blog:  New Season Cranberry Chutney.   And for more Kim Severson recipes go to her page at nytimes.com

Food for thought
I used to love the way everyone talked about food as if it were one of the most important things in life.  And of course it is.

Robert Carrier