Loaded Sweet Potato Fries with Cheese and Jalapeños

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1cm batons
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp ground cumin, divided
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced into rings
• 150 g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
• 60 g pickled jalapeños, drained and sliced into rings
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 150 ml soured cream
• 4 tbsp hot sauce
• 15 g coriander leaves
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 150 g guacamole
• 4 warm flour tortillas

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan and line two large baking trays with baking paper. Two trays, not one; these fries need room to breathe.
2. Tip the sweet potato batons into a large bowl with the olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic granules, cumin and cornflour. Season generously with salt and pepper, then toss until every baton is evenly coated and lightly dusted. The cornflour is what crisps the edges; don't skip it.
3. Spread the fries across both trays in a single layer with clear space between each baton. Crowd them and they steam; and steamed sweet potato is the saddest thing in the kitchen. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway, until the edges are deeply caramelised and the centres give easily to a knife tip.
4. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Tip in the cumin and smoked paprika first and fry them for 30–60 seconds until fragrant. Add the drained black beans, season with salt, and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the beans are hot through and starting to split and crisp at the edges.
5. Once the fries are roasted, pile them onto one tray in a generous heap. Scatter the spiced black beans evenly over the top, then blanket the lot with the grated cheddar; right to the edges, no bald patches.
6. Return the tray to the oven for 4–5 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted, bubbling and just catching gold at the edges. Taste a fry on its own at this point; if it needs more salt, scatter a pinch over now, before the toppings go on.
7. Pull the tray out and immediately scatter over the pickled jalapeños, spring onions and fresh red chilli. The residual heat softens them just enough to release their fragrance without losing the bite.
8. To serve, dollop the soured cream across the top in cool white pools and drizzle generously with hot sauce. Shower with torn coriander leaves, give a good squeeze of lime over the lot, and bring straight to the table with extra lime wedges, guacamole and warm flour tortillas alongside.