Recipe: Vegan Sweet Potato & Truffle Bake

Looking for a dish to feed and impress your friends, both vegan and non-vegan? Look no further than this creamy sweet potato bake topped with fresh truffle.

This creamy and comforting combo of vegan cheese, plant-based milk, nutmeg and sweet potatoes, topped with truffles, is a crowd pleaser and not too tricky to make. A great entertaining option when you have people over for dinner, or a delicious mid-week meal, paired with a fresh leafy green salad.

Ingredients

2½ tbsp truffle oil

2½ tbsp cornstarch

1½ cups unsweetened plain almond milk

½ cup vegetable broth

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

4-5 tbsp nutritional yeast

2-3 medium kumara sweet potato, very thinly sliced

¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese

¼ tsp paprika

Fresh parsley

Fresh truffle

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c. Heat a large oven-safe cast-iron or metal skillet on the stove top.

2. Once skillet is hot, add truffle oil and cornstarch and whisk to incorporate, cooking for 1 min.

3. Add almond milk a little at a time, whisking slowly to incorporate and prevent clumps from forming. Continue until all of the almond milk has been added. Then add vegetable broth. Whisk to incorporate.

4. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 5 mins or until thickened, whisking frequently.

5. Transfer sauce to blender. Add nutmeg, a pinch of salt, pepper, and then the nutritional yeast. Blend on high until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more if needed. Mixture should be very cheesy and savoury.

7. Grease a large baking dish with truffle oil or vegan butter all the way up the sides. Lay down half the sliced sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on 2 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese. Add remaining sweet potatoes, season with a bit more salt and pepper. Toss if needed.

8. Pour sauce over the potatoes and add remaining parmesan cheese. Push down with your fingers to submerge the sweet potatoes. The sauce should just cover the sweet potatoes.

9. Cover with foil and bake on middle rack of oven for 20 mins. Then remove foil and bake for another 40-45 mins. Sweet potatoes are done when a knife can be inserted into the potatoes and can come out without effort. The top should be golden brown and bubbly.

10. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 mins before serving. Top with fresh parsley and generously shave fresh truffle on top.