Did you know that eating a sweet potato gives you the majority of your daily vitamin A intake? It’s the vitamin we also know as retinol which helps keep skin and the lining of some parts of the body, healthy, and also helps the body’s immune system work properly; not to mention helps keep our vision healthy (NHS). The great thing about sweet potato is its versatility when it comes to cooking it. There are a hundred things I like to do with sweet potato, including making chips and brownies, and this delicious recipe adds another example to the list.
After baking the sweet potato – sans oil – all that’s needed is a quick slice down the middle and that’s all to it before adding in a delicious filling. I am so happy with how my mackerel pâté turned out; I included some zingy lime juice, as well as some light cream, soft cheese and dill along with the smoked mackerel to make a delicious combination that was balanced by the sweetness of sweet potato. This was extremely filling because it’s packed with protein and good carbs, and it goes very well with a light salad – nothing more is needed and you’ll be as stuffed as the potato afterwards.
This recipe serves 3 and can be made dairy-free by using vegan cream and cheese.
Ingredients:
- Sweet potato, 3, medium (112 kcal in 130 g sweet potato)
- Smoked mackerel, 170 g, (473 kcal)
- Light whipping cream, 100 mL (260 kcal)
- Lime juice, 1 tsp
- Low fat soft cheese, 50 g (183 kcal)
- Dried dill, 2 tbsp
- Sweet or smoked paprika, 1 tbsp
- Fresh salad to serve
Calories per serving: 418 kcal
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Pierced the sweet potatoes three times on each side (to allow ventilation for the steam on baking), separate them out on a big tray and bake for 50 mins.
- Add the cream to a mixer and whisk for about five mins, or until when it becomes thickened (but don’t overdo it!)
- Remove the skin from the mackerel (and bone if it’s not already boned), and tear it up into small pieces.
- Add the soft cheese, dill, paprika, lime juice and mackerel to the whipped cream mixture in the mixing bowl, use the beater part of your machine for this, or you can stir everything together by hand.
- After leaving the sweet potato to cool for 10 mins after coming out of the oven, slice it down the middle and push out the sides before scooping the mixture out (evenly) between the three potatoes.
- Serve with some nice fresh salad and enjoy! The sweet potato skins are also edible and add a lot of fibre to the meal.
The Food Anatomist 