ROASTED SWEET POTATO WREATH WITH FESTIVE FILLING
After the success of my sweet tatty towers this summer, it occurred to me that I could experiment with these sweet potato stacks to form a circle — and because my Christmas hat was on (not literally… yet!), I thought this might well make a wreath! Then thinking about the flavours of Christmas, I came up with a pilaf/salad/stuffing idea of black rice and Puy lentils tossed together with some aromatics and chestnuts and cranberries of course. Choosing Puy lentil — or beluga lentils if you can find them — means you end up with a well cooked lentil that still has its shape, but without too much bite. Remember that what some people might look for in texture might not always be great for digestion! Black rice and wild rice too can retain that shape without being turned to mush even with a good simmer. Soaking the rice and lentils the night before not only drastically cuts their cooking time,* but also makes them easier to digest. If you’re making another of my Christmas dishes, the pickled cabbage salad with grilled apples and toasted hazelnuts — and I highly recommend you do! — then you're good to go. If not, then a dash more apple cider or red wine vinegar and some toasted pumpkin seeds to the stuffing to make a more complete meal for all 6 Tastes.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 - 6 depending on sides
For the rice and lentil salad stuffing:
¾ cup beluga/Puy lentils, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
¾ cup black rice or wild rice, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sea salt, to taste
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp vinegar (or use the juice from the pickled cabbage)
2 tbsp ghee or your fav cooking oil to make vegan
1 leek, finely sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
1½ tbsp cumin powder
1 pack (200g) cooked chestnuts, sliced into thirds
¼ cup dried cranberries, halved
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
For the sweet potato wreath:
1kg sweet potatoes (about 4 medium-large)
4 tbsp (50g) ghee, melted (or your fav cooking oil for a vegan version)
3 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp plus a pinch of sea salt
Good grind of black pepper
Fresh rosemary
Small handful of dried cranberries to decorate
METHOD
For the rice and lentil salad stuffing:
Cook the soaked rice in 3/4 cup of water for 15-20 minutes until tender, tip into a colander (save any cooking liquid for soups), rinse, drain well and set aside.
Cook the soaked lentils in half a cup of water for 15 minutes until tender, tip into a colander (save any cooking liquid for soups), rinse, drain well and set aside.
Mix the cooked rice and lentils together with half a teaspoon of the salt, some black pepper and the olive oil, and set aside.
Melt the ghee in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the leeks and celery and sauté for a few minutes. Add the cumin, chestnuts and cranberries to the pan and continue to sauté for a few minutes.
Season with a pinch of salt, then toss through the rice and lentil mixture with the fresh parsley. Set aside.
For the sweet potato wreath:
Place a stainless steel bowl on a very low heat source.
Add the ghee to melt, then the smoked paprika, salt, black pepper and fresh oregano, and mix. Remove from the heat.
Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes, then use a mandolin to finely slice them to 1-2 millimetres thick — watch your fingers!
Transfer in batches as you slice into the bowl of ghee and spices to stop them browning. Toss well with your hands — as the ghee starts to cool, pop the bowl on a low heat source again to melt it.
Take your biggest oven tray and line with baking parchment. Start to lay out the potato slices in a circle, overlapping slightly as you go — I started by placing 4 evenly — in the north, south, east and west of my imaginary circle to map it out. Continue to build up the circle until all the slices are used up. Set aside.*
Putting it all together:
Preheat the oven to 350°F/190°C fan.
Roast the sweet potato wreath for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges and the top are starting to brown and become more translucent, and the insides are cooked (use a skewer or knife to check).
Remove from the oven and fill the centre with the stuffing mix (there will probably be some leftover mix but save for extras later!), pop back into the turned off oven for 5-10 minutes until you’re ready to serve.
To serve, pop some rosemary sprigs into the wreath and carefully place a few cranberries around it.
East by West tips:
*If you didn’t manage to soak your lentils or rice for 8 hours, don’t worry, just soak in warm water for as long as possible, then adjust cooking times and water to allow for a longer cook.
**Fresh cooked is always best but it’s Christmas and you’re making more than one dish and quite possibly feeding a crowd. To make the tatty towers a day or so ahead, don’t add the salt until you’re ready to stack and pop them in the muffin tin, otherwise the salt starts to draw out their moisture. The stuffing mix works well made a day or two in advance too. Just be sure to bring to room temp or even toss in a warm pan before serving to bring to a nice ambient temperature — for your belly and the flavours!
