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vegalicious Edition 227 - Aug/Sep 2025
Baked sweet potato with ginger and cream à la Ilse

Since I have no blood sisters, I treasure the non-blood ones I collect along the way. They lift my wings so that I can fly, they dry my tears and share my happiness, but the best ones share their recipes. Thank you, Ilse. Be warned, this dish will warm your whole body and is so sexy and delicious, you might want to serve it for all 3 courses. The choice is yours – do not feel guilty! Sweet potato is a superfood and very good for your body – we just put on a party dress in this recipe. 

 

This dish goes very well with bobotie but I also serve it with braaivleis. 

Ingredients

  • 4 medium size sweet potatoes 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 
  • Salt for seasoning 
  • 5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated 
  • 500 ml cream 
  • 3 tbsp soft brown sugar 

Method

Turn the oven to 180˚ C. Rinse the sweet potatoes, cut off the ends and place them in an oven dish that is big enough to take 8 halves. Rub the olive oil all over the sweet potatoes and sprinkle with salt all around. 

Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 1 hour. A sharp knife should glide through the sweet potato if it is baked enough. (I do this every week and eat these baked sweet potatoes if I crave sugar – it is a very healthy alternative to junk sugar)! 

Cut the baked sweet potatoes in halves lengthways and place cut-side up. Scratch the surface with a fork. Cover the halves with fresh grated ginger. Pour the cream over the whole dish. Sprinkle the soft brown sugar over the halves. 

Place the dish back into the oven for about 30 minutes or until the sugar melts and the cream starts thickening and it all turns a delicious golden brown. 

Indulge! 


Recipe By
Sanet Prinsloo

Sanet Prinsloo

Chef

Born a Windhoeker, Sanet obtained her BSc Home Economics degree in Bloemfontein before leaving for the UK on a Working Holiday Visa. There she stumbled into the kitchen of 190 Queensgate in 1992 and has been in the kitchen ever since.

Back in Namibia her entrepreneurial spirit led her to own a coffee shop and a deli, with stints as caterer and as chef at lodges and farms.

In 2000 her life changed completely with the birth of her first son. Two more followed and she started baking from home in 2001 to be able to spend more time with the boys. Today she is still baking and delivers cookies and macarons all over the country.

Community projects:
President of NamChefs (2012 – 2017)
Worldchefs Certified Regional Judge (2014 – present) (SA, Mauritius, Egypt, UAE & Qatar)
Namibia’s Checkers Boerewors competition (2011 – present)
NAU Braai Competition (1999 – present)

“I wanted to become an actress, so now I cook on stage from time to time and I love it!” Sanet Prinsloo