Roast kumara halves with crispy bacon & horopito mayo

This is a scrumptious way to enjoy roast kumara – in fact, it would even make a delicious lunch on its own. Horopito, also known as native bush pepper, is a native herb with a lovely peppery flavour. Specialist food stores stock it, or buy online from rhayne.co.nz.

Generous drizzle of cooking oil (coconut oil is good with kumara)
3 large kumara, scrubbed and cut in half lengthways
Flaky sea salt
½ cup good-quality mayonnaise
½ cup natural yoghurt
1 tbsp dried horopito
1 tbsp lemon juice
250g streaky bacon (or pancetta)
Small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Heat oven to 190 degrees. Place oil in oven tray and heat gently for a few minutes. Add kumara, cut side up. Drizzle over a little extra oil and add a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast for about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn kumara over, cut side down. Return to oven and increase the heat slightly to 140. This will allow the cut side of the kumara to go slightly crisp and golden. Cook for another 20-30 minutes.

While kumara is cooking, make the horopito mayo and prepare the bacon.

For the mayo, whisk together the mayonnaise and yoghurt with a fork. Add horopito, lemon juice and a small pinch of sea salt and whisk well to combine. Taste and adjust as necessary.

Chop bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Set aside.

To serve, place kumara halves on a serving dish, cut side up. Place a dollop of horopito mayo on each one, sprinkle with crispy bacon bits and garnish with a generous pinch of sea salt and chives. Serves 6