Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew
A super simple recipe for easy homemade Parmentier potatoes – small and ultra crispy potato cubes flavoured with rosemary and garlic. The perfect side dish for a special occasion!
The humble potato has got to be one of the most incredible foods on the planet. It doesn’t look like much, but man, it can make a good meal. Parmentier potatoes are one of my all-time favourite potato side dishes – they’re super crispy, herby and garlicky, and pretty much just everything that a potato dish should be.
Parmentier potatoes were named after a French man called Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who lived in the 17 and 1800s, and is apparently best remembered as a ‘vocal promoter of the potato’.
(…I think I’ve just found my life’s purpose…)
I imagine modern-day Parmentier potatoes are probably a little different to what they were back in the 1870s, but these days Parmentier potatoes are basically small cubes of potato, cooked until crispy.
In my view, they’re like a mini version of a classic roast potato, except with even more flavour, and even more crispy bits.
There are various methods of making Parmentier potatoes. As I was researching this recipe, practically every single recipe I looked at used a different cooking method.
Some recipes involve part-boiling the potatoes before roasting.
Some recipes involve pan-frying the potatoes before roasting.
Some recipes don’t use the oven at all.
It seems that the end result is far more important than the cooking method you use – as long as you end up with delicious Parmentier potatoes when you’ve finished, I don’t suppose it matters too much which method you use.
So, as you might expect – I went for the easiest method, which requires the least amount of effort possible. Because who wants to make life harder for no reason?
As you may know, I try to avoid peeling my vegetables if I can avoid it, but this is one of those occasions where it’s actually worth doing.
Just peel your potatoes, and cut them up into little cubes. Ideally, your cubes will be about 1-2cm in size. They do shrink a little as they cook, so don’t go too tiny.
Try to get the cubes vaguely even so they cook at the same rate – but don’t worry if it’s not perfect. It actually gives a nice little bit of variety if some of your potatoes end up crispier than others!
Add some sprigs of fresh rosemary and some whole cloves of garlic to the tray. Obviously the bulk of these will be removed before serving (I’m not suggesting you munch away on a whole stick of rosemary), but they infuse an amazing flavour into the potatoes.
Toss everything in a good amount of oil, and pop them in the oven to roast.
Yep, that’s all there is to it. Just make sure you remove the whole cloves of garlic and any particularly woody stems of rosemary before you eat.
This is the sort of recipe that I really love. It really couldn’t be an easier potato dish – but it couldn’t be more delicious either! These potatoes seem a little fancy, and they’re the sort of thing I’d be proud to serve for guests, but they’re also ultra easy to make.
Parmentier potatoes are very definitely a side dish – they need something alongside them to create a full meal.
They’re the perfect accompaniment to a roast dinner (even a fancy one like for Christmas or Easter!).
Of course, if you’re a vegetarian you won’t be making any type of roast meat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a brilliant roast. Here are a few ideas of things to serve alongside your Parmentier potatoes:
Any of these would work really well with some Parmentier potatoes and some extra veggies.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/3 of the recipe.
The post Easy Homemade Parmentier Potatoes appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.
Sometimes I really just need a hot bowlful of something that’s truly comforting – and if that comfort food can also contain plenty of goodness, even better! This Caribbean sweet potato stew is packed with fresh vegetables, beans, and a seriously tasty jerk BBQ sauce. Serve it up over some rice for a hearty, veggie-packed meal.
The flavours in this stew are incredible – I love a good sweet / spicy combination. A lot of the flavour comes from the BBQ sauce, so make sure you choose a good one! I used a Jerk BBQ sauce (which you can get from Amazon, or from the supermarket), which added to the Caribbean vibe perfectly – it’s got just the right amount of sweetness and smokiness to flavour the stew without overpowering it.
Caribbean cuisine has been shaped by many factors, including the region’s extensive history with colonisation, and its wonderful warm climate. This sweet potato stew is not necessarily a traditional Caribbean dish, but it’s my own celebration of some of the Caribbean’s most iconic ingredients – sweet potatoes, coconut, beans, tomatoes, and more. A lot of Caribbean food is meat-based, but this is a totally vegan stew.
The recipe makes a nice big batch – easily enough for 6 people – so it’s perfect for cooking up to feed a hungry crowd.
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Here’s what you’ll need to make this hearty vegetarian stew. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
As with any similar hearty stew, you can pretty much throw whatever you like into a dish like this. Ideally, choose vegetables that benefit from low, slow cooking (rather than anything that will cook down into mush). For example:
If you do want to add a vegetable that needs less cooking, like broccoli, just add it to the pot 15 minutes before serving.
You’ll need a nice big pot for this recipe. If you don’t have a big casserole dish, you could halve the recipe and make a smaller version – however, there’s something really lovely about heaving the huge pot out of the cupboard and cooking up a big batch of stew.
I love any occasion that calls for my huge Le Creuset casserole dish. It’s wonderfully big and heavy, and it works beautifully to cook up a vegetarian stew or casserole. It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven.
I won’t lie, Le Creuset casserole dishes are expensive – mine was a gift many years ago. As much as I love mine, you can also buy very similar pots that are a much more budget-friendly.
Click to see the Le Creuset pot on Amazon.
Cheaper version (with great reviews) on Amazon.
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Yes! Stews reheat really nicely, so there’s no problem with fully cooking the stew in advance, and then reheating later.
Yes – you can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Leftover sweet potato stew can be reheated thoroughly in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.
I love to serve this stew with rice, which soaks up the tasty sauce beautifully. It can also be served on its own.
Yes! It is both vegan and gluten free.
The post Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.
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