Baked sweet potato

Barbecue-baked sweet potatoes with a herby butter based on rosemary, spring onion, garlic, ginger and cinnamon. A warm flavour combination inspired by very old cookbooks. A special yet simple side dish for a summer grilling evening.

Serves: 4
Preparation: approx. 15 minutes
Cooking: 30–40 minutes
Total time: approx. 45–55 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 200 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 spring onions
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly under cold running water and pat them dry.
• Pierce the potatoes several times all over with a fork or skewer.
• Strip the needles from the rosemary sprigs and finely chop them.
• Slice the spring onions into thin rings.
• Peel the garlic and finely chop the cloves.
• Cut the softened butter into cubes and put them in a bowl.

Method

1. Make the herb butter
   Add the chopped rosemary, spring onion and garlic to the bowl with the butter and sprinkle in the ground ginger and ground cinnamon.
2. Season
   Season the herb butter with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Mix into a smooth butter
   Mix everything thoroughly with a fork or spatula until you have a smooth, creamy herb butter.
4. Tear off aluminium foil
   Tear off four large pieces of aluminium foil.
5. Lightly salt the potatoes
   Lightly sprinkle the sweet potatoes all over with salt.
6. Place the potatoes on the foil
   Place one potato on each piece of foil and make a shallow lengthways cut on the top.
7. Fill with herb butter
   Spoon a generous dollop of the herb butter onto each potato and gently press it into the cut.
8. Fold the parcels closed
   Fold the foil tightly to make well-sealed parcels.
9. Preheat the barbecue
   Preheat the barbecue to a medium heat, preferably using indirect heat.
10. Cook the potatoes
    Place the foil parcels on the grill, close the lid and cook the potatoes for 30–40 minutes; turn the parcels halfway through.
11. Check for doneness
    Check for doneness by piercing through the foil into the potato with a skewer or fork: it should go in and out easily.
12. Let rest briefly
    Remove the parcels from the barbecue and let them rest briefly.
13. Open the foil carefully
    Open the foil carefully; hot steam will escape.
14. Add extra herb butter
    If necessary, open the cut in the potato a little further and spoon on a little extra herb butter.
15. Serve immediately
    Serve the baked sweet potatoes immediately. Any leftover herb butter can be served separately in a small bowl, so everyone can add more to taste.
16. Cook in the oven
    No barbecue? Place the parcels in a preheated oven at 180–200 °C and cook the sweet potatoes for 40–50 minutes, until completely soft.