SWEET POTATO FALAFEL

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 c chickpea flour
a splash of olive oil
a sprinkling of sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender – 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, then peel. (You could skip this step if you own a microwave. Just poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and cook for 7 minutes at full power. Flip and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until tender.)

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, parsley, lemon juice and chickpea flour into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet. You can add a tablespoon or so more of chickpea flour if necessary (the water content of sweet potatoes varies enormously).

Reheat the oven to 400F/200C. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) or a falafel scoop if you have one, make the mixture into falafel looking things and put them on an oiled tray. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown.

Makes about 16 falafel, enough for 4 – 6.

Serve over tabbouleh.