Cookbook:Sour Mashed Sweet Potato

| Fermentation

Sour mashed sweet potato is a great way to make use of leftover roast vegetables. You can use this recipe for several roasted vegetables, including sweet potatoes, taro, and pumpkin. It makes for an excellent dip at parties, a very nice cold mash at picnics, a great accompaniment for sliced cold meats, and is also good when served with barbecued lamb chops.

Ingredients

 * 500 g sweet potato or other vegetables
 * 2 cm (1 inch) piece of ginger
 * 1 tsp non-iodised salt
 * ½ tsp kefir or 1 tsp yoghurt

Procedure

 * 1) Peel and roast the sweet potato or other vegetables. Ideally, this would be an extra piece of sweet potato, pumpkin, taro, etc. tossed into the oven with other food being roasted for a main meal. A 500 g piece of sweet potato will roast nicely in 1½ hours at 150°C (300°F), or less at a higher temperature.
 * 2) Allow the vegetables to cool to about room temperature.
 * 3) Mash the vegetables in a bowl. Try to break up all large pieces, but don't be too fussy—a few little lumps won't bother anyone!
 * 4) Peel the ginger, and mash it in a mortar and pestle or mince it in a food processor. Add it to the bowl and mix well.
 * 5) Add the salt and kefir or yoghurt, and mix in well. Try to get a smooth consistency, but don't be too concerned about the odd lump.
 * 6) Pack the mash into a crock or jar, where it can ferment. Pick a nice looking one that you can serve it from later also. Smooth the top of the mash with a spatula.
 * 7) Fill a strong plastic bag with water, seal (knot or zip-lock) and place on top of the mash. Because the plastic bag is flexible, it will fit to the surface of the mash and exclude air, which prevents mould.
 * 8) Set aside in a warm (not hot!) place for 48 hours to ferment.
 * 9) After fermenting, remove the plastic bag and close the crock or jar with a lid, then place in a refrigerator to keep fresh.