Sweet Potato, Chestnut and Sesame Balls with Cranberry Relish

Our sweet potato, chestnut and sesame balls are a fun and festive dish that take the humble sweet potato to a whole new level! Served with cranberry relish, these make for a wonderful starter or side dish, particularly alongside our festive filo rotolo. Better still, they're vegan and gluten free which means everyone at your holiday party can enjoy these with gusto!

Sweet Potato, Chestnut and Sesame Balls

Serves: 8 (makes 24 balls) | Dietary: vegan, gluten-free

Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g sweet potato (approx. 2 medium)
• 120g cooked chestnuts, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp tahini
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp gram flour (sifted)
• 4 tbsp white sesame seeds for rolling
• olive oil for roasting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180CFan/200C/GasMark6.
2. Roast the sweet potato whole in their skins in the oven for about 40 minutes until soft. Leave to cool then peel and mash, weigh out 450g of cooked mashed sweet potato.
3. Chop the chestnuts well with a knife, leaving a few larger pieces for texture.
4. Mix the chopped chestnuts with the sweet potato, chopped garlic, tahini, ground cumin and coriander, sage, parsley and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix in the gram flour.
6. Shape into 24 small balls and roll each one in sesame seeds.
7. Place on an oiled lined tray, drizzle more oil over the top and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
8. Serve with cranberry relish.

Cranberry Relish

Serves: 8 | Dietary: vegan, gluten free

Prep time: 5 minutes| Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 225g fresh cranberries
• 150ml water
• 4 cardamom pods
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ lemon, peel and juice

Method:

1. Place the cranberries in a saucepan with 150ml water
2. Add the spices and lemon peel and bring to the boil, simmer slowly until about half the berries have popped. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often until all the sugar has dissolved.
3. Serve cold.

Delicious food photography by Rob Wicks of Eat Pictures.

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