First we couldn’t find any pasta to buy, now we’re a bit bored of it, so we’re switching up our carb offering with this next-level jacket potato.

Using sweet potatoes which are full of immune-boosting beta-carotene, you top with fibre-rich Sloppy Joe mushroom filling, douse in a mouthwatering tangy BBQ sauce – and settle down to binge-watch all of Normal People while eating the best of comfort foods. 

SERVES 2

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 300g each)

Salt and black pepper 

1 x 40g bag vegetable crisps, to serve

100g mixed leaf salad, to serve

FOR THE SLOPPY JOE FILLING

150g mushrooms 

1 red onion

2 garlic cloves

1 celery stick

1 large carrot

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the sweet potatoes

150g vegan mince

1 tsp mustard (e.g. American mustard)

¼ tsp hot sauce (e.g. Tabasco)

40g BBQ sauce (low­ sugar shop-bought or use our BBQ Bourbon Sauce on page 169)

1 lime

5g fresh parsley

- Baking tray

- Food processor

- Saucepan

- Preheat the oven to 200’C

- Line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper

Put the sweet potatoes on the baking tray and pierce them a few times with a fork. Rub the potatoes with a splash of oil and scatter with a pinch of salt. Put the tray in the oven and bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, until the skin has started to crisp up and the flesh is tender.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make the Sloppy Joe filling by putting the mushrooms in the food processor and blitzing to a mince.

Peel and dice the red onion, peel and grate the garlic, trim and thinly slice the celery and peel and grate the carrot.

Heat the olive oil in the large saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Add the celery and carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushroom mince and vegan mince and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and translucent and the mushroom and vegan mince have softened and browned slightly. 

Add the mustard and hot sauce and stir for 1 minute. Add the BBQ sauce and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Take the tray out of the oven. Leave the sweet potatoes to cool for 5 minutes.

Carefully slice open the sweet potatoes and gently fluff the flesh with a fork. Spoon half the filling into each of the potatoes.

Halve the lime and squeeze one half over each potato.

Taste and season to perfection with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley leaves.

Serve immediately, with vegetable crisps and a small side salad.

Recipe courtesy of BOSH! Healthy Vegan by Henry Firth & Ian Theasly (HQ, HarperCollins)

IMAGE: Photographer Lizzie Mayson  

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