Serves 3-4 persons as a side dish
Sweet potatoes are just lovely; I am almost as much in love with sweet potatoes as with beets. They're full of carotenoids and other goodies for your health, and they please the palate as well as satisfy the appetite. What more can one want from a food?

The lemon juice and pepper make their sweetness even more pronounced and the baked garlic, which has hints of nuts in its taste, adds the final touch. The mash can be served hot or cold and will keep for one day in the refrigerator. Try serving it with a green salad and a piece of seared tuna or use it as spread in a sandwich.

• 2 lbs (1 kg) sweet potatoes
• 1 head of garlic
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 large lemon
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed unrefined safflower oil

Cooking Instructions
1) Bake the sweet potatoes in their jackets in a 425° F (220° C) hot oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours - you can either place them in a pan with a little water added or arrange them on a baking sheet - until soft and tender. You should be able to pierce them at easily with a fork or thin knife at the thickest point.
2) Peel the outer skin off the top half of the head of garlic to reveal the individual cloves, place it in a small pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water, and bake it along side the sweet potatoes for 25-30 minutes.
3) Peel the baked potatoes and whizz them in a blender or food processor along with the lemon juice. The result should be a thick, velvety mash. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4) Split the head of garlic into individual cloves and peel each of these. Also cut the base off each clove.
5) Arrange the sweet potato mash in bowls, drizzle with a bit of oil, scatter the peeled cloves of baked garlic on top, and serve.