Maple sweet potato salad - with whipped tahini and crispy chickpeas

5 from 17 votes

Maple sweet potato salad - with whipped tahini and crispy chickpeas

Recipe video above. Channelling my inner Yotam Ottolenghi – maple-roasted sweet potato on a fluffy cloud of whipped tahini, topped with crispy spiced chickpeas and a shower of chopped pistachios. Fabulous statement side or substantial meat-free main - try stuffing into flatbreads. Ridiculously good!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Course: Side, vegetarian main

Cuisine: MIddle eastern vibes, Western

Keyword: roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potato salad

Servings: - 6 as a side, 3 - 4 as a main

Calories: 304cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

Maple roasted sweet potato wedges:

1.5kg / 3 lb sweet potatoes , 3 x 6cm/2.5" wide, 20cm/8" long ideal - unpeeled, scrubbed clean (you an peel if you want) (Note 1)
1 tbsp maple syrup (or 2 1/2 tbsp honey)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Crispy seasoned chickpeas:

400g/ 14 oz can chickpeas , drained but not dried
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Spicy maple sauce

3 tbsp maple syrup (sub 2 tbsp honey)
1 tbsp sriracha (Note 2)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt)
Pinch Black pepper

Whipped tahini yogurt sauce:

1 1/4 cups plain yogurt , full fat, unsweetened
3 tbsp tahini (mix well if oil is separated)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 large garlic clove , finely grated
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Garnishes:

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander/cilantro leaves (sub parsley)
4 tbsp toasted pistachios , finely chopped (Note 3)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C/450°F (200°C fan). Arrange the oven racks so they are 20 cm/8" apart (for air circulation).
Spicy maple sauce - Mix until combined. Set aside.
Sweet potato - Cut each sweet potato lengthways into 6 wedges (or 8, if they are thicker potatoes). Put on a paper lined tray, then toss with the maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay sweet potato wedges on their side.
Chickpeas - Drain the chickpeas then spread on a tray (still wet).
Baking - Put both trays in the oven (sweet potato on the top shelf). Roast the potatoes for 30 minutes, turning them at the halfway mark. Take the chickpeas out after 10 minutes to flavour them.
Crispy seasoned chickpeas - Remove the oven dried chickpeas from the oven after 10 minutes (Note 4). Push them to one side of the tray, drizzle/sprinkle and toss with the oil, spices, salt and pepper. Toss well using a rubber spatula, then return to the oven for a further 15 - 20 minutes until they're crispy (they will clatter! Note 4).
Sweet potato charring (optional) - After 30 minutes (or when the potatoes are soft), switch the oven grill/broiler to high. Tuck in or fold down excess paper around the tray edges (so it doesn't touch heat element and catch fire). Stand the wedges sharp edge facing up, then pop it under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until a bit charred on the edges.
⚠️ SAFETY NOTE: Do not walk away, make sure the paper does not catch fire.
Whipped tahini yogurt sauce - While the potatoes are roasting whisk ingredients in a heat-proof bowl just to combine. When ready to use, microwave for just 30 seconds on high, then whisk again for 10 seconds – it will resemble softly whipped cream. (Note 5)
Optional tahini drizzle - Remove 1/4 cup of the tahini sauce and loosen with a little water to a drizzle-able consistency.
Assemble - Spread the whipped tahini on a large plate. Pile the sweet potato on, mostly in a single layer. Drizzle with the tahini drizzle (if using), the spicy maple sauce, sprinkle with most of the pistachio and coriander. Sprinkle over chickpeas, then sprinkle with the remaining coriander and pistachios. EAT!
(PS Great served warm or at room temperature)

Notes

1. Sweet potato - Try to get even shaped ones from which you can cut nice wedge shapes. Though, no one will be arrested if you cut the potato into different shapes - try thick medallions or half moons.

No need to peel! I only peeled the ones in the video because they were blemished so I used the peeler to remove those bruised parts of the flesh.

2. Sriracha - The spicy maple sauce has a warm hum from the sriracha, but there's only 1 tablespoon of sriracha which is used across the whole dish, so it's not very much. If you want no spice at all, substitute the sriracha with equal parts ketchup and apple cider vinegar plus small garlic clove finely grated.

3. Pistachios - Toast over medium heat in a dry skillet (no oil) until there are small golden patches. Remove, cool, chop.

Other nuts - pine nuts (extra excellent!), almonds (chopped, flaked, slivered) would be my next choice, then any of hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans.

4. Roasted chickpeas should be crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. The initial 10 minute dry roasting will make these oven chickpeas crispier than the usual technique of air or towel drying then roasting, but the fact is they will never be as crispy as deep frying (and that's ok, our hips are happy with this) and they don't stay crispy for longer than 2 hours UNLESS you roast them for 45 minutes until they are rock hard all the way through (these are a little too hard to eat, in my opinion)

5. No microwave? Use a bain-marie set up. Put the bowl on a saucepan filled with 1″/2.5 cm of simmering water. Then whisk – as the mixture warms up slightly, it will transform into the whipped cream texture.

Leftovers will keep pretty well for a day, bring to room temp them eat (it's a bit messy to separate yogurt from sweet potato to heat). Otherwise keep the components separate and heat the sweet potato. Oven chickpeas don't stay crispy for longer than a couple of hours.

Make ahead - Terrific one! Roast and char sweet potatoes and leave out to cool to room temp (can be done day before but better to do on the day). Roast the chickpeas then when you need them, give them a 7 minute oven blast at 180C/350F to re-crisp (they soften as they cool). Mix whipped tahini ingredients but don't do the microwave (can even fridge overnight). Then warm in microwave and whip just prior to assembling. Have pistachios and coriander chopped, ready to use, sauce mixed. Assemble on demand!

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings as a side.

Nutrition