Roast Sweet Potatoes with Whipped Feta & Crispy Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 180g feta
• 120g Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 70g rocket
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C fan. Toss the sweet potato wedges and chickpeas with the olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then spread out on a large tray in a single layer so everything has room to crisp rather than steam.
2. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once halfway, until the sweet potatoes are tender right through and bronzed at the edges and the chickpeas are crisping and rattling around the tray.
3. While the tray is in, blend or mash the feta with the Greek yoghurt, lemon zest and half the lemon juice until smooth enough to spoon and swipe across a plate, about a minute in a food processor.
4. Taste the whipped feta and add more lemon if it needs brightening. It should feel cool, tangy and properly seasoned, not just a creamy filler.
5. Scatter the rocket onto a platter or shallow bowls and spoon over the whipped feta first, swiping it across so the leaves sit half-buried.
6. Top with the hot roast sweet potatoes and crispy chickpeas straight from the tray, letting some of the spiced oil and tray juices mingle with the feta underneath.
7. Finish with the toasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of chilli flakes. The mix of sweet roast veg, crisp chickpeas and cool feta should feel full and craveable, not virtuous.