Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes with Crisp Fennel Slaw

Preparation time: 60-90 minutes | Serves: 4 people

I can’t get enough of this recipe and find myself making it whenever I find particularly large sweet potatoes in the grocery store.

This is a great exercise in balancing flavours and textures, where the soft, lingering sweetness of the potatoes are combined with a spicy, sour slaw. I like to add mount-puckering amounts of vinegar to my dressing, but feel free to play around with the quantities according to taste.

This vegan recipe is also great for meal prep. Find more information about storage, assembly and other suggestions in the recipe notes.

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes

• Nuetral/ olive oil, for brushing

• 1 bulb fennel or half a green cabbage

• 1 green apple

• Handful of fresh coriander, parsley and chives (with the stems)

• 2-3 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 jalapeño (or halve if you can’t handle the heat)

• 2-3 heaped tbsps. tahini

• Drizzle of honey

• Splash of apple cider vinegar (according to taste)

• 2 tbsps. Pukara Estate extra virgin olive oil + more to drizzle

• Flaky salt and chopped chives, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven/ air fryer to 180°C. Prick the potatoes with a fork, rub with oil and salt, then wrap in foil and bake for 45-60 mins depending on the size.

2. Remove the foil and turn the oven/ air fryer up to 200°C bake uncovered for the last 20 mins till crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

3. Meanwhile, wash the herbs, then blend them with the garlic, cumin powder, vinegar, tahini, jalapeño, honey olive oil and salt to taste. You’re looking for a thick, saucy dressing like consistency. Add a splash of water if desired.
   • Finely chop the fennel (I like to keep some chunky bits, but if you’re using cabbage shave it fine) and toss in with thinly sliced green apple in a salad bowl.
   • Pour in half the dressing and toss to combine.
   • Slice the potato down the middle, use tongs or a fork and spoon to load up with the salad.

4. Drizzle with remaining dressing (it doubles up as a sauce!), olive oil, salt and fresh chives.

RECIPE NOTES

1. Can I use regular potatoes for this recipe?
You can use regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes for this recipe. The sweet potatoes do balance the zesty salad, so I would recommend adding a touch more honey to the dressing to balance it out.

2. Can I meal prep this dish or make it ahead of time?
I would recommend making the individual components ahead of time and reheating the potatoes + assembling the salad when you are ready to eat. This loaded sweet potato recipe is also great for work lunches and packs your daily dose of healthy garbs and greens.

3. How long can I store the potato and salad for?
The potatoes will last in the fridge for up to 4 days and salad for 3. The vinegar in the dressing keeps it fresh for up to a week, however it may oxidise slightly. Give it a big stir before using.

4. Is this recipe vegetarian or vegan? Can I add any protein to it?
This recipe is 100% vegan! You can add shredded chicken to the salad for extra protein.