Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy roast sweet potato, peanut and chilli salad – recipe

Georgina Hayden’s roast sweet potato, peanut and chilli salad. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Eden Owen-Jones.

It’s almost disrespectful to call this a salad, because it is so many things: a salad, a side dish, even a main course. When sweet potato is cooked this way – sliced into chunky discs before roasting, with peanuts and a little brown sugar added in the later stages – it packs a punch; and with a spicy, sweet, creamy dressing, it ticks all the boxes for me. It keeps well, and can be made ahead and dressed at the very last minute, so is ideal picnic material.

Roast sweet potato, peanut and chilli salad

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main

3 sweet potatoes (about 700g)
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
40g peanuts
1½ tsp light soft brown sugar
100ml coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
½ garlic clove, peeled
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
½ bunch mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into 1½cm-thick rounds and put in a large roasting tray. Season generously, then pour over the vegetable oil and toss to coat.

Spread out the sweet potatoes in a single layer (you might need a second tray to accommodate them all), then roast for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden, starting to brown at the edges and cooked through. Scatter over the peanuts and a teaspoon of the sugar, then return to the oven for five minutes more, to caramelise. Remove and leave to cool slightly for 10 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and remaining half-teaspoon of sugar. Finely grate in the garlic and whisk again.

When the sweet potato has cooled a little, tip it into a bowl, add the chopped herbs, spring onions and chilli, and toss. To serve, drizzle over the dressing and toss again.

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