As leaves begin to fall around the country, we all turn our attention to the coziest of items: warm sweaters, seasonal lattes, decorative gourds, and, of course, the humble but delicious sweet potato, which is in season in September and October.
Chef Mel Alafaci, also known as ‘The Happy Chef’ in Australia, is her favorite way to make sweet potatoes ‘wild’ in honor of the changing seasons. With just 180 calories per potato, each contains enough fiber, vitamins, and minerals to truly call them a nutritional powerhouse. Many experts also believe that they improve vision, gut health, and heave cancer-fighting abilities too.
The chef has been making waves in the US with her own brand of sexy meets fun cooking. Her name began popping up in the American press after her first cookbook, Culinary Quickies, won the coveted International Book Award in 2018, making her a global food personality.
Although North Americans are just becoming familiar with The Happy Chef, she has a strong following down under. She founded a famed restaurant and cooking school, Vanilla Zulu Culinary Adventures, which teaches international cuisine to hundreds of students. It also feeds 300 guests weekly in its restaurant, employs six chefs and 14 assistants.
To see more of Chef Mel in action, check out her YouTube channel for tips, tricks, and lessons in making every recipe sexier and presenting your old favorites in ways that make them even more attractive to your friends and family.
Chef Mel says that the diverse and healthy sweet potato holds a special place in her heart as someone who embraces cuisines from around the world as well as dietary preferences.
“Years ago, when I started as a chef, vegetarian and healthy food was never considered sexy, fun, or playful,” Chef Mel explained, “Healthy, yes. Ethical, sure. But seductive and delicious? Not so much. Today, that’s changed, and I’m all for it!”
3 Wild Ways with a Sweet Potato
Roasting
Dice these golden beauties into small cubes or roundels. Place on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and shake to coat. If you want to take your sweet potatoes “Around the World”, you can season with your choice of spices. Think curry powder, paprika, or your favorite spice blend to make these really amazing! Place in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden and tender.
Air Fry or Shallow Fry
Peel sweet potato and then use the peeler to get these cut down really thin and gorgeous. I use vegetable oil to fry these until crisp. They really only take a few minutes to cook! Use to adorn dishes for a festive and delicious display. If you don’t like frying or using oil, you can use an air fryer or oven roast on a greased tray until golden and crispy. Too easy!
Grilled
Cut your sweet potato into thick round slices or discs. Place on a lightly greased roasting tray and season lightly with olive oil, salt, pepper and spices. Place in the middle of the oven and pop the broiler on. When the first side is brown – about 5 minutes – flip to the other side. Beautiful! I like to use my roundels to feature as a hero vegetable in a colorful veggie stack, as main dish side, or blend up the next day for a soup or dip!
About Chef Mel
Chef Mel, aka The Happy Chef, works to teach new and seasoned chefs how to be happy in their kitchens again by cooking with happiness, confidence and love. Her cookbook, Culinary Quickies, won the International Book Award and was a top finalist in the United States. To learn more about booking opportunities, please visit https://chefmel.me/