Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Sticky Mushrooms

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Sticky Mushrooms

This one is properly special to us. There's something about a giant sweet potato split open and absolutely loaded with sticky, glossy mushrooms that just feels like a proper dinner, even though it comes together in under an hour. The mushrooms get this incredible caramelised coating with ginger, garlic and a little sweet heat that clings to every slice, and the fluffy sweet potato underneath soaks it all up beautifully. It's the kind of meal that looks impressive but genuinely isn't fussy, which is exactly our kind of cooking. Make this tonight and you will not be disappointed.

Cook: 55 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking tray
  • Small bowls (x2)
  • Fork for piercing potatoes
  • Frying pan

Ingredients

  • 4 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • 500g portobello mushrooms
  • 2 pak choi
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 10g ginger
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 red chilli

Method

1

Roast the potatoes

  • Use a fork to pierce the sweet potatoes and place on the baking tray
  • Drizzle the olive oil over the sweet potatoes and season with salt
  • Rub it into the skins then roast for 40-45 minutes until soft and tender
2

Prep the veg

  • Slice the mushrooms
  • Peel and mince the garlic and ginger
  • Juice the lime
  • Mix the cornflour and water together in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry
  • Roughly chop the pak choi
  • Finely slice the red chilli
3

Make the sesame sauce

  • In a small bowl mix together the tahini, sesame oil, half the lime juice and water until smooth and cream
4

Cook the mushrooms

  • Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with the olive oil
  • Add the mushrooms frying until soft and caramelised
  • Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes
  • Add half the lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and cornflour slurry
  • Bring to a simmer, mixing as the sauce thickens to coat the mushrooms
  • Stir through the pak choi
5

Assemble and serve

  • When the sweet potatoes have cooked, slice them open and mash the flesh gently with a fork
  • Spoon over the mushrooms, drizzle over the sesame sauce and finish with the sesame seeds

Tips & Variations

  • Get the skins crispy: Rub the olive oil and salt really well into the skins before roasting. It makes the outside slightly crisp while the inside goes super fluffy, and honestly the skin is worth eating too.
  • Don't rush the mushrooms: We know it's tempting to stir them loads but leave them alone in the pan for a minute or two at a time. That's how you get proper colour and that slightly chewy, meaty texture that makes this so satisfying.
  • Make it your own: This is great with a dollop of vegan sour cream or some sliced spring onions on top. Henry always scatters a few sesame seeds over his for a bit of extra crunch.

Why This Works

The trick here is getting your mushrooms properly golden before you add the sauce. If you crowd the pan they'll steam and go soggy, so give them space and let them colour up first. That sticky glaze is what ties the whole thing together, and the cornflour slurry is what gives it that gorgeous glossy finish that coats everything so well.