James Whetlor says: “Here is a recipe that calls for cooking directly on the coals, but it will cook equally well over a high indirect heat for 40 minutes.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 small sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1–2 tablespoons chipotle powder (or use a combination of smoked paprika and chilli)
1 bay leaf
1 x 400g/14oz can black beans, drained
200g/7oz feta, crumbled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

40g/1½oz pumpkin seeds
200g/7oz sour cream
a bunch of spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
a small bunch of coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
2 sliced fresh chillies (optional)
hot sauce (optional)

Method

If you are cooking on an indirect heat, preheat the BBQ to a medium heat and have a rack at the ready. If you are cooking the potatoes as an afterburner, nestle the foil-wrapped potatoes in the embers.

Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then wrap in foil and bake for about 30–40 minutes until cooked through.

While the sweet potatoes are baking, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and cook the onion and garlic for 5–10 minutes until softened. Add the spices and bay leaf and cook for a further minute until aromatic.

Add the beans and 250ml/1 cup water and season to taste. Cook for 10–15 minutes or until the water is absorbed, adding a dash of water if the beans dry out too much.

Split the tops of the sweet potatoes and prise them open, then fill each one with the beans and crumble feta over the top. Arrange the potatoes in a frying pan (skillet) or metal baking dish and place over the fire to heat through and crisp the bottoms a bit.

Serve in the hot pan or tray, topped with the pumpkin seeds, sour cream, spring onion, coriander and the fresh chillies (if using). Finish with a drizzle of hot sauce, if you like.

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