
We’re only halfway through January and I’m starting to crack. I’m far from a winter fan and this January has been well and truly winter. Winter didn’t creep in, it busted in like the Kool-Aid man. But I can’t do anything about it. Winter is going to winter, so I’ve resolved to cook at home in my slippers until this nonsense clears up. Today’s Baked Sweet Potatoes with Curried Chickpeas and Swiss Chard is one of my favorite things I’ve made so far. This dish features sweet potatoes baked to silky perfection and filled with tender chickpeas and Swiss chard swimming in a korma-esque sauce. The potatoes are finished with a dollop of yogurt, chili flakes, and a sprig of fresh cilantro. This is real deal, January-ready comfort food, so let’s dive in.

Once upon a time, I had a baked potato at my parents’ house. My mom made it in her air fryer and its skin was so crispy, its inside so silky, that it made me rethink my stance on air fryers. I’m not one to jump on a bandwagon, particularly kitchen appliance-related ones, so I casually dismissed the air fryer as yet another instant-pot-esque craze. I had a convection oven – I was fine. Well, that potato made me question whether or not I was truly fine. Not enough to open my wallet but I was questioning. Well, that changed this holiday season.


Yes, I indulged in the PSL of the small kitchen appliance world – I bought an air fryer. Well, not just an air fryer. I purchased a Wonder Oven from Our Place. This is going to sound like an ad but I swear it’s not. I picked up the Wonder Oven because our old toaster oven scared me. It got insanely hot whenever it was, you know, toasting. And I was worried it would set our kitchen cabinets alight just from sheer radiant heat. Not ideal.

I have a pet peeve when it comes to kitchen appliances. I refuse to concede counter space to a single-use item. My only exception is my rice cooker. I love that thing, I will never surrender it no matter how cramped things may get. So for that reason, I was reticent even to replace the toaster oven at all. But the pull of perfectly reheated pizza was too strong. So I settled on the Wonder Oven because it could roast, toast, broil, and air fry, which brings me to the point of this admittedly long-winded story. The Wonder Oven made the best baked sweet potatoes I have ever had. See? We started with a baked potato and now we’re ending with a baked potato. This story has come full circle or I suppose full potato.

Okay, I’m done with story time now, let’s talk about these Baked Sweet Potatoes with Curried Chickpeas and Swiss Chard. As I mentioned, I roasted the sweet potatoes in air fryer mode in my Wonder Oven. I pierced them all over with a fork and popped them in at 400°F for one hour. The creamiest most incredible interior ever. But if you prefer your potato with a little more structure, cut your cook time down to 45 minutes. You can do the same in a conventional oven, but I would add roughly 15 minutes to the overall cook time.

With the potatoes taken care of, let’s move on to the curry. This filling is korma-esque. I will not refer to it as a korma because it is far from traditional but it is definitely korma inspired. The first thing we’re going to do is shred an onion. This is a sweet onion. We’re going to shred it because we want it to cook down into a delicious caramelized onion mush and we don’t want to wait around for an hour. We’re going to do something similar to some garlic and ginger. This is one of the few times I advocate the use of a garlic press. We want all our aromatics to readily devolve into a flavor-rich sludge. I realize that doesn’t sound like an enticing prospect but I can assure you it smells amazing.

To the onion mixture add tomato paste, garam marsala, and Kashmiri chili powder. If you don’t have Kashmiri chili powder, you can substitute some sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Saute everything briefly until the tomato paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Pour in full-fat coconut milk and some unsalted roasted cashews. Bring the mixture up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Transfer the coconut mixture to a blender or a food processor. Add some whole green chilis, these are very optional, and blitz until very smooth. Return the mixture to its skillet and stir in two cans of chickpeas. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Once the second simmer is done, add in some finely chopped Swiss chard. Stir until the chard wilts. Finish the curry with some lime juice, taste, and season with salt accordingly.

Your potatoes should be perfect by now. Split them down the middle lengthwise. Be careful not to cut through the skin on the bottom of the potato or they will fall apart completely. Ladle the chickpea curry into the potatoes and top them with a dollop of yogurt, as sprinkling of chili flakes, and a sprig of fresh cilantro. Serve with a lime wedge on the side.
And that’s everything you need to know about these Baked Sweet Potatoes with Curried Chickpeas. Hearty, healthy, and downright cozy, this is a pitch-perfect winter meal you’ll want to tear into again and again.
Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Curried Chickpeas
Equipment
- 1 air fryer optional
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 2 tbsp neutral oil I used canola
- 1 sweet onion shredded
- 3 cloves garlic crushed in a garlic press
- 2 tsp fresh ginger shredded
- 1 tbsp tomato paste heaping
- 1 tbsp garam marsala
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder **
- 1 (400ml, 14 fl oz) can full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup unsalted roasted cashews
- 2-3 green chilis stems removed
- 2 (540ml, 19 fl oz) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch Swiss chard finely chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- ⅓ cup full-fat yogurt
- Chili flakes for sprinkling
- 4 sprigs cilantro to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400°F. Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place them naked on the middle rack and roast for 1 hour in an air fryer or 1 hour and 15 minutes in the oven. ***4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- While the potatoes are roasting, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and reduce the heat to low. Add a pinch of salt and sauté until the onions are very soft. Stir in the garlic and ginger and sauté a minute or two more.2 tbsp neutral oil, 1 sweet onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp fresh ginger
- Add the tomato paste, garam marsala, and Kashmiri chili to the skillet. Sauté for a minute and then stir in the coconut milk. Add the cashews and bring everything to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp garam marsala, 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder **, 1 (400ml, 14 fl oz) can full-fat coconut milk, ½ cup unsalted roasted cashews
- Take the skillet off of the heat and carefully transfer the cashew mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the green chilis and blitz until very smooth.2-3 green chilis
- Pour the mixture back into the skillet and add the chickpeas. Bring the mixture up to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.2 (540ml, 19 fl oz) cans chickpeas
- Remove the cover and stir in the Swiss chard. Continue to stir until it wilts. Taste and season with salt accordingly. Stir in the lime juice and take the curry off of the heat.1 bunch Swiss chard, 1 lime
- The potatoes should be done by now. Take them out of the oven and carefully split them down the middle lengthwise. Take care not to cut through the skin underneath the potato. Fill the potatoes with the curried chickpeas and top with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkling of chili flakes, and a sprig of fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.⅓ cup full-fat yogurt, Chili flakes, 4 sprigs cilantro