Sweet Potato Pottage

This simple, straightforward recipe has become my go-to dish for potlucks, especially church potlucks. Over time, it’s also become one of those dishes people ask about after the event. That’s always a good sign.

One of the best things about this recipe is how flexible it is. Once you understand the base, you can substitute almost any root tuber vegetable and still end up with a great dish. The foundation, as with most of my recipes, is a tomato-based stew. Get that right, and everything else falls into place.

My personal favorite root tuber to use here is sweet potato. If you live in North America, you’ve probably noticed there are quite a few varieties. The orange sweet potato is the most common, but there are others that work just as well. Japanese sweet yam, which is very similar to Nigerian sweet potato, is an excellent option. Jamaican and Caribbean sweet potatoes also hold up beautifully in this recipe. If you want to try something different, purple yam works too.

All of these sweet potatoes and yams have a similar texture, which is why they work so well here. That said, if you’d rather avoid the natural sweetness, you have plenty of alternatives. African yam, sometimes called Ghana yam or Nigerian yam, is a great choice. Cocoyam, also known as taro or eddoe, works well too. Regular potatoes are always reliable, and plantains, whether ripe, unripe, or a mix of both, are also excellent options.

This is not a recipe to be afraid of experimenting with. As long as your stew base is solid and you cook your root vegetable until tender, it’s hard to go wrong.

This recipe is very flexible when it comes to protein. You can use one protein or a combination of your choice, including mushrooms, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, goat meat, fish (fresh, dried, or smoked), shrimp, gizzard, shaki, or ponmo. If you’re using raw protein, make sure it’s fully cooked before adding it to the pottage. You can boil, grill, fry, or air-fry depending on what you prefer.

Traditionally, this dish is made with palm oil, but you can use any oil you’re comfortable with, such as canola, olive, or avocado oil, etc. The oil mainly helps prevent the tomato base from burning, so use an amount that works for you.

Leafy greens bring everything together. Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, or any greens you have on hand will work well. Use what you enjoy and what’s easily available.

The dish has become popular enough that friends and family now ask for the recipe, which is why I’ve taken the time to curate it carefully. The ingredients and process are simple, and everything should be easy to find no matter where you live.

I hope you give this recipe a try. When you do, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.

Sweet Potato Pottage

This simple, flexible recipe has become my go-to for potlucks, especially at church, and it’s always a crowd favorite. Built on a tomato-based stew, it works beautifully with a wide range of root vegetables, from sweet potatoes and yams to plantains and regular potatoes. Once you get the base right, the rest is easy. It’s a comforting, adaptable dish that invites creativity and never disappoints.

Servings 4 People

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

• 1.4kg to 1.5kg Sweet potato or any root tuber  See note 1
• 4-6 medium size Tomatoes
• ¼ to 3 deseeded Habanero Pepper or any hot pepper substitute with ½ to 2 teaspoon of grind black pepper (See Note 2)
• 1 large Onion
• 1 small Onion slice / diced – optional
• 3 cloves Garlic
• Thumb size Ginger
• 383g Spinach or Kale Any leafy vegetable will work
• Chicken (any protein of choice) or mushroom – Optional Cooked / Grilled / Fried and cut into small bite size. (See Note 3)
• 1 – 2 tsp Curry Powder
• 1 – 2 tsp Thyme
• ¼ – 1 cup Cooking oil See Note 4
• 2 cups Water or Stock chicken stock, beef stock or vegetable stock
• Bouillon Powder to taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Cook / fry / grill your chicken (or whatever protein you are using). Then cut into small bite size
• Wash and Blend the tomatoes, pepper, large onion, ginger and garlic into a smooth puree and set aside.
• Peel and cut the sweet potato into small size and place in a bowl of water so it doesn't oxide.
• Place a medium size pan on medium low heat and allow to heat up
• Once it is hot, add the quantity of cooking oil you will be using for this recipe.
• Allow the oil to heat up then add in the sliced / diced onion and stir
• Then add the curry powder and the dried thyme leaves. Then immediately add the tomatoes puree you blended earlier.
• Stir and cover and allow to steam until the consistency thicken and the tanginess is cooked out (If it is thicken and it is still tangy / tart then add a pinch of baking soda). This should take about 15 to 20 minutes to thicken.
• Then add in the cut sweet potatoes and the stock (or water if that is what you are using) (See Note 5)
• Add your seasoning to taste. Cover and allow to cook until tender
• Once the sweet potato is tender, mash gentle using a potato masher or a spatula. It doesn't have to be finely mashed. You can leave small chunk in there too.
• Now add the cooked chicken (protein)
• Then add the spinach (If using kale, you can add it at this point or if you want it a bit softer, add it half way through cooking the potatoes)
• Stir, adjust seasoning if necessary and cover to cook for about 5 minutes
• Remove from heat and enjoy
• With Love, B!

Video

Notes

Note 1 : You can use orange sweet potato is the most common, but there are others that work just as well. Japanese sweet yam, which is very similar to Nigerian sweet potato, is an excellent option. Jamaican and Caribbean sweet potatoes also hold up beautifully in this recipe. If you want to try something different, purple yam. All of these sweet potatoes and yams have a similar texture, which is why they work so well here. That said, if you’d rather avoid the natural sweetness, you have plenty of alternatives. African yam, sometimes called Ghana yam or Nigerian yam, is a great choice. Cocoyam, also known as taro or eddoe, works well too. Regular potatoes are always reliable, and plantains, whether ripe, unripe, or a mix of both, are also excellent options.

Note 2 : You can use grind white or black pepper or a deseeded hot pepper such as a scotch bonnet, Thai chilli pepper or whatever pepper you are comfortable using. I have found that the spiciness of any pepper is in the seed, so, I always advise to remove the seed before using. 

Note 3 : You can use Mushroom, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, goat meat, fish (fresh, dried, smoked), ponmo, shaki, gizzard, shrimp, etc. Make sure you cook your protein completely before adding it into the pottage, if using raw protein. You can cooked, grilled, Fried, air fry then cut into small bite size pieces.

Note 4 : Any kind of cooking oil works – canola oil, olive oil, avocado oil, palm oil (which is the original oil for this recipe), etc. The quantity of the oil doesn’t matter. Use as little or as much as stated in the measurement amount.

Note 5 : If you would prefer cooking it in the oven, preheat the oven at 400 degree for 10mins. Then transfer the tomatoes sauce into an oven safe pan, add the sweet potato, water or stock, seasoning to taste then cover the oven safe pan (you can cover with a foil sheet). Allow to cook for 30mins or until the potato is tender. Then mash it. Add your cooked chicken (protein) and spinach. Place it in the oven for about 10 mins and remove. Enjoy. 

 

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: African, Nigerian