Sweet Potato Crumble

Image by Chris Mejorada for CPI Publishing

It's the third week of our new life, and let me tell you that no matter how much people tell you your life will change, you don't realize how much it actually does until you're in it! So a few weeks ago I was someone who would be up and running by 7am (even at 9 months pregnant!), full of energy, a busy little bee with one million things to do.. Now I am half awake during the day, due to being up every 2 - 3 hours at night, feeding and nappy changing, and it really is the most radical change of lifestyle ever! Even though I'm lucky enough to have help around me, it is quite tiring to say the least.. Add to that the physical exhaustion after giving birth and also the emotional roller coaster I'm on (let's blame all those hormonal changes), I must admit, it's a lot to take in at first. But amidst this whole new life, something incredible happens.. When I look at my little munchkin I forget everything.. It's all about him, and all the pain, exhaustion and hormonal imbalances are all worth it.. I'm in love like I've never been before and all I desire is for the little one to always be safe and sound inshAllah.

So as I'm still not cooking up a storm in my little kitchen, I'm posting a beautiful Sweet Potato Crumble from my Thanksgiving menu which was part of BBC Good Food's November issue.. It's an incredibly delicious side dish, and when you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream it can even pass as a gorgeous dessert! I had this crumble at Ruth Chris a few months ago, and I loved it so much that I made up my own version which if I may say is even more delish ;) Enjoy!

Prep & Cook Time: ~2 hours

Serves 6 – 8

• 6 large sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ½ tsp all spice
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup ground pecans

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the potatoes in a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the skin, then mash potatoes and add the milk and spices and seasoning. Mix well, then spread the potato mixture in a lightly buttered baking dish.

In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and butter and with your fingers gradually crumble the mixture. Sprinkle over the potatoes and bake for about 50 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden. Decadent!


As feature in BBC Good Food Middle East - November 2011