Sweet potato and pineapple 'sandwich'

Description

This dish gets its inspiration from the Caribbean. You can give this an even bigger Caribbean flavour by adding a slug of rum to the pan when stir-frying the veggies.

Ingredients

100ml/3½fl oz vegetable oil
600g/1lb 5oz golden sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into largish bite-sized chunks
2 small red chillies, chopped
handful of fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 8 slices (reserve the juice)
1 red onion, sliced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced
75g/3oz blanched okra
freshly chopped coriander leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the curry sauce
3 tbsp curry paste (mild or hot)
400ml/14fl oz can coconut milk
100ml/3½fl oz vegetable stock

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Heat the oil in a roasting tin, then add the sweet potato chunks. Season well, give them a good shake and add the chillies, thyme and garlic. Roast for about 30 minutes until the sweet potato is soft (it's probably worth giving them the odd stir while they're roasting).
2. Brush each of the pineapple slices with oil and cook on a hot griddle pan for a couple of minutes each side until well striped. When they've all been charred, put them in an ovenproof dish with their juice and put to one side.
3. To make the sauce, cook the curry paste in a saucepan for a few minutes to release the flavour, then add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add the stock and cook for five minutes.
4. Heat some more oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook until it starts to brown. Add the red pepper and then the sweet potatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the potato starts to break down.
5. Spoon in a little of the curry sauce to bind the mixture, then add the okra and coriander. Stir it around for another couple of minutes.
6. Pop the pineapple slices in the oven for a few minutes to warm through. Put a slice of pineapple on each plate, then spoon a quarter of the sweet potato mixture on top (if you've got them, use small chefs' rings to make it neater). Sit another slice of pineapple on top and drizzle some of the curry sauce around the edge to serve.