I enjoy using roasted root vegetables for wintery salads, my warm root veg salad is one example of something I’ll eat regularly whilst root vegetables are plentiful.

This salad, also using root vegetables, is very much inspired by the flavours and colours of Mexican food, which I adore, using some quite British ingredients.

Serves 2

Ingredients	Equipment to have ready
1 sweet potato, pierced	Chopping board
2 parsnips, cut into batons	Sharp knife
2 carrots, cut into batons	Baking trays
1/4 tsp hot smoked paprika	Griddle, cast iron skillet or frying pan
1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika	Teaspoon measure or a teaspoon
1/4 tsp ground cumin	Tablespoon measure or a tablespoon
1/4 tsp ground coriander	Medium sized mixing bowls
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
12 – 14 sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 corn on the cob
12 baby tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, taken out of the skin and cubed (around 1cm square pieces)
1/2 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 lime
Small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)
2 corn tortillas, cut into 8 wedges (you could also use wheat tortillas)
Feta or Lancashire cheese (or vegan alternative)
Handful of dry roasted peanuts
Chipotle sauce (or other favourite chilli sauce) (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Put the pierced sweet potato on a baking tray and bake in the oven until soft. This will take 30-45 minutes. You could, of course, do it quicker in the microwave if you prefer.
3. Lay the parsnip and carrots on a roasting tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with the dry spices, salt and pepper.
4. Cook the veg in the oven for 15 minutes before adding the sprouts to the tray and giving everything a mix up.
5. Put the veg back in the oven for around 30 minutes or until browned and soft. The cooking time will depend on how large the pieces of veg are.
6. Whilst the veg is roasting, steam the corn on the cob until just cooked (I do this in the microwave with a little water and a lid on for 3-4 minutes).
7. Put the tomatoes on the tray with the sweet potato to roast until caramelised and soft. Remove and set aside.
8. Heat the griddle, cast iron skillet or frying pan until very hot and char the corn all round. Set aside to cool.
9. Lay the tortilla wedges on a baking tray, brush with a little oil and bake in the oven until brown and crisp. Watch them carefully as they can burn quickly.
10. In a mixing bowl, mix together the avocado, black beans and red onion. Season with a little salt and pepper and squeeze over the juice of half the lime. Taste to check the seasoning and to see if you would like more lime. Gently stir through the cooked tomatoes and coriander then set aside.
11. Scoop out the flesh of the baked sweet potato, season and add a little olive oil before mashing.
12. Hold the corn upright on your board and run the knife down the cob to remove the kernels. Turn and repeat until the cob is clean.
13. Serve the roast veg and corn on top of the sweet potato mash, put the avocado salsa and crispy tortillas on the side, nuts sprinkled, cheese crumbled and sauce drizzled over the top.