- 2 sweet potatoes
- 100g kale
- 1 chilli
- 1 red onion
- 1 lemon
- 120g feta
- 1 garlic clove
- 25g pumpkin seeds
- A handful of mint, leaves only
- 85g pea shoots
- Sea salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- Freshly ground pepper
- Roasting tin
- Food processor (optional)
- Frying pan
- 1.
Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Fill your kettle and boil it. Scrub the sweet potatoes and pop them into a roasting tin. Slide the potatoes into the oven for 40-45 mins, till they are baked and soft in the middle. See our tip at the end if you’d prefer to speed things up by cooking the spuds in your microwave.
- 2.
While the sweet potatoes bake, strip the kale leaves away from the thick stalks. Finely shred the leaves and slide them into a large bowl. Season the kale with a pinch of salt and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Use your hands to massage the kale with the oil and salt for 2-3 mins. The leaves should be glossy, dark green and slightly softened. Set aside.
- 3.
Thinly slice the chilli (you can halve it and scrape out the seeds and pith before chopping for less heat). Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Pop the onion and chilli into a separate bowl. Juice in half the lemon. Stir well and set aside.
- 4.
Crumble half the pack of feta into a food processor. Peel and grate in the garlic clove. Squeeze in the juice from the remaining lemon half. Add 2 tbsp boiling water and a pinch of black pepper. Blend into a thick dressing. No food processor? You can give the feta a good mash with a fork, then stir together with the other dressing ingredients.
- 5.
Set a dry frying pan on a medium heat. Scatter in the pumpkin seeds and toast, tossing, till nutty smelling and golden. Tip the seeds into a bowl. Finely slice the mint leaves, discarding the stalks.
- 6.
Add the pea shoots and mint to the bowl with the kale and stir to combine. Divide the salad between 2 plates. Serve with the baked sweet potatoes, topped with dollops of the feta dressing, the pickled onions and chillies, toasted seeds and crumbles of the remaining feta.
- Tip
Micropower
If you have a microwave, you prick the sweet potatoes all over with fork, then lightly wrap in kitchen paper and microwave on high for 6-8 mins, till tender all the way through.