
Middle Eastern Spiced Beetroot & Sweet Potato Dip
PREP TIME: 10mins
COOKING TIME: 60mins
I love Middle Eastern flavours and this recipe is a adaption from the wonderful book Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley. Beetroot & Sweet Potato (orange) is incredibly good for us, so think of this dip as double nutritious and made even more delectable with the mix of a warm spiced olive oil and some toasted pistachios. Vegan: Use coconut yogurt. Perfect to make ahead.
Serving Suggestion:
It would be lovely with some salty feta crumbled over. In the book they serve it with a pistachio bulgar wheat salsa. Serve alongside a mezze spread – think flatbreads, grilled halloumi, tabbouli or quinoa salad.
What you'll need:
Food Processor
Ingredients:
- 500g raw beetroots, unpeeled
- 3 small orange sweet potatoes, left whole and unpeeled (240g)*
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 soft medjool date, pitted
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4/5 tablespoons of thick greek or coconut yogurt
Toppings:
- few mint leaves and
- feta crumbled
- toasted pistachio
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200c
- Individually wrap the whole beetroots very tightly in  baking paper (or foil) add them along with the whole (unwrapped) sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in the oven and roast until both the sweet potatoes and beetroots are soft. Probably 1hour for the beetroots and 40min for the sweet potato.
- Rub the skins of the beetroot and skin the sweet potato, set aside
- Heat the oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat, once hot add the garlic and cook for 2min until fragrant and slightly coloured and softened, add the spices and cook until fragrant – about 2min. Remove from the heat, let it cool for a few minutes.
- In a food processor, add the beetroot, warmed garlic & spices, medjool date and a good pinch of salt and pepper, whiz until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the sweet potato and pulse until just incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to a pretty serving bowl, add the vinegar, stir, taste and season.(freeze if prefer)
- Â Fold the yogurt through until streaks are visible.
- Top with your toppings of choice, drizzle with some olive oil and serve.
You can freeze the dip but omit the yogurt.
Kitchen Notes:
Apologies for stating what seems the obvious with my ‘orange’ sweet potatoes, but sweet potatoes are normally white in South Africa. Also called a ‘patat’ in Afrikaans they are closer to a yam than the sweet potato I became accustom to in the UK, but for a few months a year we can enjoy the orange (and healthier) variety.