Vegetarian Sweet Potato Canapes are bursting with flavours of garlic and smoked paprika! The beauty of these canapes is that it requires very little hands-on time and no decorating skills. The sweet potato gratin is cooked in a square roasting tin, then cooled and cut into pieces. All we do to make the canapes look pretty is pipe a rosette of creme fraiche and sprinkle the top with some more smoked paprika!
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Sweet Potato Canapes
When I worked at one of the Ottolenghi delis in London, I got to taste a variety of canapes from Ottolenghi's wonderful catering menu. Back in the day, they used to have these delicious sweet potato canapes that were bursting with smoked paprika flavour, and so a couple of weeks ago I was adamant I needed to make something similar for our anniversary celebration. Yes, canapes for dinner for just the two of us! Oh, and also canapes for an office lunch the next day! Imagine the weird looks from the colleagues when Seb whipped out his Trio of Canapes for lunch... But that's how we do it here, at Somebody Feed Seb.
Equipment Needed to Make Sweet Potato Gratin Canapes
- vegetable peeler
- 20x20cm ovenproof dish/ roasting tin
- mandolin or food processor with slicer attachment
- piping bag with a star nozzle
You will also need sturdy baking parchment and aluminium foil.
How to Make Sweet Potato Gratin Canapes with Smoked Paprika?
Preheat the oven to 200° C Fan. Line a 20x20cm ovenproof dish/ roasting tin with non-stick baking parchment (we highly recommend Bacofoil Baking Parchment).
Slice the sweet potatoes thinly using a mandolin, a food processor with a slicer attachment or a sharp knife. The slices should be approx 2-3mm thick.
In a large bowl, mix double cream, mixed garlic, salt and smoked paprika.
Tip the sweet potato slices into the cream mixture and mix well to coat every slice in cream.
Layer the sweet potatoes neatly. You should have about 10 layers. Scoop any remaining cream on top of the potatoes.
Cover the dish with foil (we recommend Kirkland Signature Foil - it is strong and lasts forever!) and place it in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 25 minutes. Check that potatoes are cooked through by inserting a sharp knife. Potatoes should be tender.
Take the gratin out of the oven and leave it to cool down to room temperature. Then place a sheet of baking parchment on top and place a heavy tin on top of the gratin to compress it (this will ensure you can slice it into small squares without it disintegrating). Place the gratin with the weight on top in the fridge for an hour.
Slice the gratin into 30 squares (or smaller pieces if you wish). Pipe a rosette of creme fraiche on top of each sweet potato canape, sprinkle with some smoked paprika and decorate with a slice of spring onion.
Other Easy Canape Recipes
If you're looking for more easy canape ideas for your party, have a look at our other recipes below:
- Smoked Salmon on Sweetcorn Blinis
- Goat Cheese and Fig Crostini
- Bacon, Cranberry and Brie Canapés With Filo Pastry
- Mushroom and Polenta Canapes
Recipe Card
Sweet Potato Canapes with Smoked Paprika
Equipment
- 20x20cm ovenproof dish/ roasting tin
- Piping bag with a small star nozzle
Ingredients
- 1 kg sweet potatoes peeled
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 170 ml double cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon creme fraiche full fat
- 1 spring onion sliced on the diagonal
- a pinch of smoked paprika to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C Fan. Line a 20x20cm ovenproof dish/ roasting tin with non-stick baking parchment.
- Slice the sweet potatoes thinly using a mandolin, a food processor with a slicer attachment or a sharp knife. The slices should be approx 3mm thick.
- In a large bowl, mix double cream, mixed garlic, salt and smoked paprika.
- Tip the sweet potato slices into the cream mixture and mix well to coat every slice in cream.
- Layer the sweet potatoes neatly. You should have about 10 layers. Scoop any remaining cream on top of the potatoes.
- Cover the dish with foil and place it in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 25 minutes. Check that potatoes are cooked through by inserting a sharp knife. Potatoes should be tender.
- Take the gratin out of the oven and leave it to cool down to room temperature. Then place a sheet of baking parchment on top and place a heavy tin on top of the gratin to compress it (this will ensure you can slice it into small squares without it disintegrating). Place the gratin with the weight on top in the fridge for an hour.
- Slice the gratin into 30 squares (or smaller pieces if you wish). Pipe a rosette of creme fraiche on top of each square, sprinkle with some smoked paprika and decorate with a slice of spring onion.
Notes
Nutrition
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
These are so beautiful and the perfect morsels to pop easily into your mouth. Great for a celebration or Christmas too.
Ieva Greber says
Absolutely! We love making these over the festive period!
Gina Abernathy says
So much flavor in every bite. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorites.
Ieva says
Thanks, Gina! 💗
Dana says
These are adorable and so so tasty! I could not stop poppin' them into my mouth. I ended up being that jerk who ate most of her own appetizers. Lol. Oh well. I'll make a double batch next time. Everyone loved them!
Ieva says
Dana, you really made me laugh! I am always that person 😀 😀 😀
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram says
Each bite of this is perfect. We loved the recipe and shared it with friends too. So Yum.
Ieva says
Thanks for trying this recipe! SO glad you all liked it! 🙂
Mary says
Quick question - should these be served hot, cold, or room temp? Thanks!
Ieva says
We always serve them cold/ room temperature. They need time to set, so they can be sliced easier and the creme freche can be piped on without melting/ sliding off.
Thanks for the question 🙂 I will make sure to update the post to make it a bit clearer!
Vanessa says
Would this freeze well?
Ieva Greber says
I have to admit, I never tried freezing it, but my gut instict tells me that the texture would not be very pleasant after thawing. Gratins are always best reheated after freezing.
Jamie says
Can you make these a day ahead?
Ieva Greber says
Absolutely! I think they're better the next day, as the gratin has time to firm up before slicing. 🙂
Kat says
Could you freeze before baking? So thawing, baking and then cooling and decorating? Looks delish, but trying to work out the logistics of this and a whole bunch of other things for 150+ people ...
Ieva Greber says
Wow, you have quite a task on your hands! Unfortunately, raw potatoes do not freeze well due to high water content in them. After thawing they will be watery (so the slices won't stick together in the gratin, as the cream will be watered down), They might also be mushy and grainy. Sorry, it's not the best recipe to freeze, but it keeps well for a couple days in the fridge. Best of luck! 🙂