Recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Tray

Is there anything better than breakfast for dinner? Or breakfast for lunch, or brunch, or just plain old breakfast? We’re big fans of this simple tray-bake recipe from Celia Brooks’ Superveg – a collection of recipes ‘celebrating the joy and power of the 25 healthiest vegetables on the planet’.  Roast up, tuck in and veg out!

Scrumptious, multicoloured and cooked in one large oven tray, this does lend itself well to a lazy weekend brunch or breakfast, but it can be devoured at any time of day. Enjoy the seductive aroma of garlic, capsicums, sage and thyme as they permeate the kitchen. If you aren’t familiar with using fennel seeds, you’ll see how much of a lovely surprise element they add here – I’m a big fan of roasting them with any veggies, and they work particularly well with sweet potato.

Ingredients

700 g (1 lb 9 oz) sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), scrubbed but not peeled, cut into bite-sized chunks

2 large banana shallots, quartered, or  4–6 small French shallots, left whole

4 garlic cloves, left whole

1 red capsicum (pepper), cut into chunks

2 green chillies, halved from stem to base

150 g (51/2 oz/1 cup) frozen sweetcorn (or use fresh or tinned)

8 sage leaves

4 thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

50 ml (13/4 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

Equipment

Large baking tray (covering most of an average oven shelf) and non-stick foil or baking paper.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking tray. Place all the ingredients except the eggs on the tray and toss together with your hands to coat evenly with the oil and seasoning. Spread out in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Remove from the oven and make four gaps in the veg to cook the eggs in. Carefully crack the eggs into the gaps and season the eggs with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for 3–4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny; longer if you prefer them well done. Serve right away.

Options

Substitute eggs with tofu, in large chunks – toss together with the veg before roasting.

Serve with toast and fruit or steamed green veg or a salad.

Images and recipe from SuperVeg by Celia Brooks by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99 Photography by Jean Cazals.