Roasted leeks, sweet potato mash, green pepper salsa & garlic breadcrumbs

Serves

4 People

Cooking Time

60 minutes

Season

Winter

Dietary

Vegan

This delicious, multi-layered dish features a green pepper salsa which has multiple other applications.
At Palmito, Diego has dressed grilled squid with it, as well as using it to top squash alongside creme fraiche and date molasses. It keeps for two weeks in the fridge so why not make double the amount!

Ingredients

4 leeks
3 sweet potatoes
2 small green peppers (1/2 a full size)
2 green chilli peppers
6 garlic cloves
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1/2 bunch of parsley
10 mint leaves
a couple of star anise, black peppercorns and whole coriander seeds
4 bay leaves
1/2 tbs sweet paprika
Sea salt

Olive oil
150g stale bread (about three slices)
500ml vegetable stock
100ml white wine
Good vinegar

Method

Step 1

Pre-heat your oven to 180c. Individually wrap your sweet potatoes with tin foil and bake them for 45 minutes. As soon as you put your sweet potatoes in the oven start the rest of your prep

Step 2 (for the leeks)

Wash the leeks thoroughly, slicing off the bottoms and then cutting in half length ways and rinsing again. Add them to a deep baking tray along with 500ml of vegetable stock, 100ml of white wine, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 crushed garlic clove, 4 bay leaves and your whole spices. Season with sea salt and cover with a some parchment paper, bake for 30 minutes or until you can put a knife through your leeks and it goes through). Take parchement paper off and bake for an extra 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Step 3 (for the salsa)

Cut your peppers in half but leave your chillies whole. Without using oil char them in a frying pan until they blacken and soften. This should take around 10 minutes. Take off heat and put them in a bowl. Cover with a plate and let them cool for 15 minutes.

Step 4

Peel the peppers and chilies then chop them finely, combining with two minced garlic cloves and the chopped the parsley and mint. (You can use a food processor for this if you have one). Add some olive oil, sea salt, the zest of your lemon, a little lemon juice and a touch of vinegar.

Step 5 (for the mash)

Peel the sweet potatoes and either using a food processor or a whisk mash them, adding olive oil a little salt, yoursweet paprika and a touch of lemon.

Step 6 (for the breadcrumbs)

Blitz the bread to crumbs and then fry in a pan with a good glug of olive oil and one minced garlic clove.

Step 7

To serve, peel your leeks apart, cutting into bite sized pieces.
Portion the mash onto plates, topping with the leeks, a spoon of the salsa and a handful of the breadcrumbs. Ta-da!