Sweet Potato Falafel.
I like to bake my falafel because its much less faff than deep frying at home, and the result is a lot healthier too. The key to these falafel is the confit garlic and black onion seeds. They are a match made in heaven!
To confit garlic, simply cover your garlic cloves in olive oil and bake for around 1hr30mins in a low oven (120-130c) until caramelise and soft. It’s worth baking a batch of confit garlic as it keeps well in the fridge and can be used in so many different recipes. And don’t waste the oil too! You can use that in place of olive oil in any recipe (including this one!) to give a subtle garlic flavour.
Equipment.
food processor
small pan
Ingredients.
300g sweet potato, roughly 2
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
400g tin of chickpeas, drained
3-4 cloves of confit garlic, or 1 clove raw garlic
2 tbsp gram flour, aka chickpea flour
A few tbsp oil, for baking
Spices:
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp black onion/nigella seeds
Method.
Preheat oven to 200c fan
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-size chunks. Coat with olive oil, salt & pepper and place on a baking tray in the hot oven. Bake for 40mins until the sweet potato its soft throughout
Meanwhile, toast the smoked paprika, nigella seeds and cumin in a dry hot pan for a few minutes until they start to release their aromas. Set aside
Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly before adding to a food processor with the chickpeas, spices, flour, and confit garlic
Meanwhile, add a few tablespoons of oil to a baking tray and return to the oven to get smoking hot
Spoon out the falafel mixture and make golf-ball-sized balls. Carefully press them into the hot oil and bake for 30mins, turning halfway through
Serve warm from the oven, or keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days
