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Soetpatats
Soetpatats: sweet potatoes cooked in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon
Sunday lunch in an Afrikaans home means a table crowded with sweet and savoury sides around the roast, and soetpatats is always one of them, sitting next to the yellow rice, the green beans and the pumpkin. Thick rounds of sweet potato are cooked slowly in a covered pan with butter, brown sugar, a cinnamon stick and a strip of orange peel until they are soft right through and lacquered in a sticky, toffee-like glaze. Every family has a view on how sweet they should be; this version is rich but not cloying, with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of orange to keep it lively. They go well with a nut roast, pap tert or a lentil bobotie for a vegetarian table. Stirring too much is the trap: the rounds break up into mash, so shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: leave the lid off for the last ten minutes and the syrup reduces into a proper glaze.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb sweet potatoespeeled, cut into 2 cm rounds
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 2 ⅞ oz soft brown sugar
- 1 orangea strip of peel pared off, then juiced
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Melt 2 ⅛ oz butter in a wide, heavy pan with a lid over a medium heat until it foams.
Step 2: Lay 2 ¼ lb sweet potatoes in the pan in a single, snug layer and fry until the undersides are lightly golden.
5 minStep 3: Scatter over 2 ⅞ oz soft brown sugar and ½ tsp salt, tuck in 1 cinnamon stick and the strip of peel from 1 orange, then pour in ½ cup water and the orange juice.
Step 4: Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer until a knife slides into the thickest round with no resistance. Shake the pan every few minutes rather than stirring, and turn the rounds once halfway with a spatula.
20 minStep 5: Take off the lid and cook over a medium-low heat, basting the rounds with the juices, until the liquid has reduced to a sticky, shiny glaze that coats the back of a spoon.
10 minStep 6: Remove the cinnamon stick and peel and serve hot, with the glaze spooned over.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does soetpatats take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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