Roasted Sweet Potato with Tahini and Herbs with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Roasted Vegetables

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Cut the vegetables lengthwise, in half.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 3
   Brush the vegetables generously with the olive oil and sprinkle the cumin, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper on top.

   Pastry brush
4. 4
   Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer, without crowding.

   Baking pan
5. 5
   Roast the vegetables in a hot oven (200°C / 390°F) 35–40 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender and browned.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Give it room in the pan: crowded vegetables steam instead of browning.

To assemble

1. 6
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
2. 7
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. 8
   Mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt.
4. 9
   Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

   💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
5. 10
   Drizzle the tahini sauce over the sweet potatoes, finish with the parsley and serve immediately.