Sweet, smoky and spicy, these honey harissa roasted sweet potatoes are incredible! Paired with garlic lime yogurt and herby walnut gremolata, this dish is surprisingly easy to make despite all the layers. This can be served as a show-stealing side dish or a simple main meal with bread.
Sweet potato lovers, you are in for a treat today…
Because this is the kind of recipe where we take a few extra steps in pursuit of pure sweet potato perfection. This dish would be right at home in a trendy “small plates” style cafe or restaurant, but isn’t too fussy to make at home (I promise!)
We prepare three very simple components (the sweet potatoes, a lime yogurt sauce and herby walnut gremolata), then put them together to enjoy some layered up flavors and texture. It is full of contrasts like sweet and savory, smoky and zesty, crispy and creamy… becoming so much greater than the sum of its parts.
If you add some fresh bread I find this can be a light, simple meal all on its own. Otherwise it can be the side dish that steals the show!
Top Tips & Ingredient Notes
- You can decide how spicy you want this with your choice of harissa paste, and the amount you use in this recipe. I like to use the Al’fez harissa (which is a milder brand), and 1.5 tablespoons keeps this dish on the milder side. You can go as low as one tablespoon for an even milder result, or up to two tablespoons for more of a kick. If your harissa is labelled as hot, your results will be hotter.
- We use lime for both the gremolata and the yogurt – you can swap lime for lemon if you wish.
- I used parsley in the gremolata, but cilantro (fresh coriander) would be just as good if not better. Or a little bit of each. I’d even happily try basil. Use what you’ve got.
- Likewise, I use walnuts but you could use pistachios, cashews, almonds, whatever works.
- Additional lime wedges and pomegranate seeds are a nice topping, but the recipe works just fine without them.
Serving Suggestions
- As a main dish, the easiest option is to pair this with fresh bread or flatbreads. I particularly like to buy a nut and cranberry sourdough to serve this with (these are available in a few of the supermarket bakeries).
- For an easy protein pairing, you can’t go wrong with some fried or grilled halloumi cheese.
- If you want to pair it with whole grains or rice, try this Green Olive Grain Salad or this Feta & Kale Rice.
- If you want to pair it with a salad, try this Sweet Pepper, Chickpea & Mozzarella Salad or this Warm Mushroom, Avocado & Arugula Salad.
- These Air Fryer Oyster Mushroom Steaks or Air Fryer Portobello Mushroom Burgers would also be excellent pairings.
Recipes to use up your jar of harissa
Spicy Harissa Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Yogurt
Sweet, smoky and spicy, these honey harissa roasted sweet potatoes are incredible! Paired with garlic lime yogurt and herby walnut gremolata, this dish is surprisingly easy to make despite all the layers. This can be served as a show stealing side dish or a simple main meal with bread.
Ingredients
Sweet potatoes
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed – weight of approx 1.5 lbs or 680g after being peeled
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 Tbsp harissa, see notes
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Yogurt lime sauce
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed
Gremolata
- 4 Tbsp fresh parsley, cilantro (fresh coriander) or both
- zest of 1 lime
- 4 Tbsp walnuts
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Optional additional toppings
- pomegranate seeds
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410F / 200C.
- Prep the sweet potatoes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, harissa paste, honey and garlic. Add the sweet potato cubes and mix to get them all evenly coated. Scatter into a baking tray and place in the oven for 25 minutes.4 Tbsp olive oil, 1-2 Tbsp harissa, 1 Tbsp honey, 2 cloves garlic, 2 large sweet potatoes
- Prepare the yogurt by whisking together all of the ingredients in a bowl.1 cup greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 small clove garlic, 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- Prepare the gremolata in a mini food chopper, if you have one. Pulse together the walnuts and herbs with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil until they are crumbly. Add the lime zest and pulse once or twice more. Add salt and pepper to taste.If you don't have a mini food chopper, you can use a pestle and mortar or just chop by hand as fine as you can.4 Tbsp fresh parsley, cilantro (fresh coriander) or both, zest of 1 lime, 4 Tbsp walnuts, 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Check on the sweet potatoes at the 25 minute mark. They will be ready when they are soft in the middle but with lots of crispy charred edges. All ovens and cookware will roast at slightly different timescales, so they may be done now or they may need another 5-10 minutes (I usually need a full 35 minutes). If this is the case, you can give the pan a little shake before putting it back in the oven to help make sure there's no sticking.
- Assemble. Spread the yogurt on one half of the base of a serving plate (either individual plates or one large plate, if you're serving family style). Add the sweet potatoes on the other half, letting them overlap a little bit. You can pour some of the oil from the roasting pan over the top too. Add gremolata on top, and pomegranate seeds if you're using them. Add lime wedges for squeezing if you wish. Serve!pomegranate seeds, lime wedges
Notes
Serving size: This can make a dinner for 2-3, along with some bread. If it’s a side dish, you’ll get 4-6 servings, it just depends how much other food is on offer.
Nutritional information is for 1/4th of the recipe. It assumes you use all of the gremolata and all of the yogurt (which you may not).
Harissa quantity: I use 1.5 tablespoon. You can go down to 1 tablespoon for an extra mild (but still smoky) dish, or up two tablespoons for a more spicy dish.
Calories: 422kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 165mg, Potassium: 740mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 24486IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 128mg, Iron: 2mg