Sweet Potato Hummus + Lamb Cutlets

Sweet Potato Hummus + Lamb Cutlets

Fergal just loves sweet potato so I find myself roasting up a batch pretty much every week. A nice side effect is that we often have roast sweet potato in the fridge which I’m finding makes it way into my cooking more and more!

300g (11oz) sweet potato, scrubbed and diced
6-8 lamb cutlets or other chops
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
big handful cherry tomatoes, halved
green salad, to serve

1. Turn your oven on to 250C / 480F. Toss diced sweet potato with a little oil and place on a baking try. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until tender. Cool .

2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan or your BBQ on a medium high heat. Add lamb and cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Turn the lamb and add the tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until you’re happy. When lamb is cooked tranfer to a warm plate to rest while you make the hummus.

4. For the hummus, process sweet potato, tahini, and lemon in a food processor until you have a smooth paste or smash everything together with a fork or your stick blender. Taste and season with salt and maybe extra lemon or tahini.

5. To serve, divide sweet potato hummus between two plates. Top with lamb and tomatoes and serve salad on the side.

Variations

no roast sweet potato / short on time – use a drained can of chickpeas or white beans.

spiced – toss lamb and a little oil in 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, chilli, coriander & smoked paprika before cooking.

vegetarian – pan fry the tomatoes with the spiced oil and serve a fried egg or two with the hummus with the spicy tomatoes on top.

vegan – replace lamb with field or portabello mushrooms. Marinate and cook as per the lamb might take a little longer. Sliced eggplant steaks are another great alternative.

not tomato season – skip them or use semi dried tomatoes.

lamb alternatives – try a good old steak, pork chops or even salmon fillets. The spices are also great with good quality sausages.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with pita bread or tortillas.

more veg – add red bell peppers (capsicum), eggplant or mushrooms. Just chop and cook with tomato.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

lamb cutlets – freeze them.

sweet potato – raw will keep for months in a dark pantry. Once roasted will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

lemon – whole lemon will keep wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.

salad leaves – are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!) but if that isn’t possible you can pop them in the freezer. They will wilt down but can then be used anywhere you’d use wilted greens. At least this way they wont go slimey.

cherry tomatoes – either halve and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes (180C / 350F) OR just cook in a pan with a little oilve oil. In either case store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few weeks. Or freeze the cooked tomato for longer periods.

Prepare Ahead

Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the hummus, salad and lamb separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen.