Charred Sweet Potato Tacos

Why you will love it

It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate. A spoonful of cultured butter does the heavy lifting here, giving the sweet potato a depth that tastes like you cooked all day. There are snacks you eat standing at the counter, and then there are sweet potato tacos — the kind you clear your evening for.

Do not skip the spring onions; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy. Tomasz, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. A spoonful of capers does the heavy lifting here, giving the sweet potato a depth that tastes like you cooked all day. There are snacks you eat standing at the counter, and then there are sweet potato tacos — the kind you clear your evening for.

If you can chop cherry tomatoes and hold a bamboo steamer, you can make this. We promise. This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this. The trick with sweet potato tacos is patience: let the sweet potato take on proper colour before you even think about moving it.

Ingredients

• 500g sweet potato, prepped and patted dry
• 100g olive oil
• a handful of sea salt
• a handful of caster sugar
• 1 small bunch unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 150ml masa harina
• a handful of kecap manis
• a pinch of maple syrup
• 100g dried porcini
• a thumb of ginger
• 1 tbsp shallots
• 150ml fennel
• 3 cloves garlic
• flaky salt and something sharp, to finish

Method

1. Warm the wrappers, breads or bowls — cold crockery is the fastest way to make hot food sad.
2. Heat the oven to 220°C. Spread everything out on a heavy cast-iron pan; crowding is the enemy of crisp.
3. Pile on the kale, spoon over any juices left in the pan and finish with a pinch of panko.
4. Stir in the harissa and cook until it smells toasty and the raw edge has gone, about 12 minutes. Scrape up anything sticking to the bottom — that is flavour.
5. Meanwhile, finely chop the shallots and toss with a pinch of double cream and a squeeze of citrus. Set aside so it can soften slightly.
6. Whisk the soy sauce with the maple syrup until completely smooth. Taste it. It should be slightly too punchy on its own.
7. Splash in a little plain flour to loosen the sauce, then let it bubble down until it coats the back of a spoon.
8. Fold the mixture together gently — you want distinct pieces of sweet potato, not a paste. Season again; it almost certainly needs more salt.
9. Set a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) over a medium-high heat and add a good glug of short-grain rice. When it shimmers, add the sweet potato in a single layer and leave it alone for 14 minutes.
10. Shape into 8 even portions with damp hands. Chill for 15 minutes if you have time, because cold mixture holds its shape far better.
11. Taste one. Adjust with acid, salt or heat. Taste another, for science.
12. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice, and put the rest of the dried porcini on the table for the brave.

Cook’s notes

Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. Imani swears by adding the red onion in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch. If your sweet potato is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

Aroha swears by adding the mint in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside. If your sweet potato is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

If your sweet potato is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches. If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 160°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked. No ghee? A mix of crispy shallots and a little black pepper gets you most of the way there.

Swaps and variations

• Gluten-free: use rice flour for dusting and check your gochujang label.
• Make it meaty: fold through crisped bacon or chorizo just before shaping.
• A Osaka-style version uses sumac instead and is eaten with quick-pickled red onions.
• In summer, replace the sweet potato with whatever is glutting at the market and halve the cooking time.
• Feeling fancy? Finish with brown butter and a few leaves of crisp-fried green chilli.

Make ahead and storage

They freeze brilliantly uncooked: open-freeze on a tray, then bag them up. Cook from frozen, adding 23 minutes. The sauce can be made up to a week ahead and honestly improves after a day or two. Keep the cucumber separate until serving so it stays perky.

The cooked sweet potato tacos keep for three days in the fridge in an airtight box, layered with parchment. They freeze brilliantly uncooked: open-freeze on a tray, then bag them up. Cook from frozen, adding 3 minutes. Keep the lemon separate until serving so it stays perky.

Where it comes from

The za'atar is a relatively modern addition; older recipes relied on furikake for the same savoury backbone. In Mumbai, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight.

In Lagos, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight. Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen. Versions of this dish turn up wherever people needed to make a little sweet potato feed a lot of mouths.

Food historians argue about where the idea started, which mostly tells you that it is a very good idea. In Marrakesh, vendors sell them by the half-dozen from carts that appear at dusk and vanish by midnight. Versions of this dish turn up wherever people needed to make a little sweet potato feed a lot of mouths.

What to serve with it

We like charred lime wedges, a bowl of garlicky yoghurt and, if we are going all out, a bitter leaf salad.

We first ate something like this at a street stall in Marrakesh, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. The charred edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.

How spicy is this?

As written, a friendly medium. Halve the chilli for a gentle version or add anchovy if you like to suffer a little.

If your sweet potato is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

Can I use an air fryer?

You can: 180°C, a light spray of oil, shake halfway. They will be a touch drier, so be generous with sauce.

If your sweet potato is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely, but cook in more batches rather than bigger ones. Crowded pans steam instead of sear.

No harissa? A mix of anchovy and a little plain flour gets you most of the way there.

Mine fell apart in the pan. What happened?

Usually the mixture was too warm or the pan too cold. Chill for 19 minutes and make sure the oil shimmers before anything goes in.

A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.

What do I serve with it?

We like shoestring fries and buttered corn on the cob. A crisp, cold drink is non-negotiable.

No furikake? A mix of masa harina and a little breadcrumbs gets you most of the way there.