Fiesta time

Rustle up a Mexican feast and invite your amigos over

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Charred sweet potatoes with crispy bacon and maple syrup

SERVES 4

Ingredients

3-4 sweet potatoes
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
4-5 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
80g bacon lardons
120ml soured cream
1 tbsp milk
1 lime, ½ juiced, ½ sliced into wedges
50g feta (optional)
Handful of coriander leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas mark 9 and line a baking tray with parchment. Cut the sweet potatoes into long wedges. Tip them into the baking tray.

2. In a bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce and 3 tbsp of the olive oil. Pour it over the wedges and sprinkle with the salt. Rub the wedges with the sticky glaze, ensuring each is glistening.

3. Scatter over the thyme leaves, then bake for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing the wedges halfway through. At this stage, the potatoes should be smelling delicious and looking caramelised and blackened in places.

4. In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the lardons and sauté for a few minutes until they turn golden.

5. In a bowl, whisk the soured cream with the milk to make it thin enough to drizzle. When the potatoes are cooked, pour them into a shallow bowl and add the toppings - squeeze over the lime juice, drizzle the soured cream and maple syrup, crumble the feta, scatter the lardons and coriander. Then tuck some lime wedges in to serve.