Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese

When the oven is hot, roast the sweet potato on the top shelf until golden, 25-35 mins. Turn halfway through.

When your water is boiling, add the macaroni to the pan and bring back to the boil. Cook until tender, 12 mins. 

Once cooked, drain in a colander and pop back into the pan. Drizzle with oil and stir through to stop it sticking together.

While the sweet potato and macaroni cooks, pick the sage leaves from their stalks and finely chop (discard the stalks).

Pop the sage into a small bowl along with the breadcrumbs and olive oil for the crumb (see pantry for amount). Season with salt and pepper, mix together and set aside. 

Grate the Cheddar cheese. 

Melt the butter (see pantry for amount) in another large saucepan on medium-high heat. Once hot, stir in the flour (see pantry for amount). Cook until it forms a paste, 1-2 mins - you've made a roux!

Pour in the water for the sauce (see pantry for amount) a little at a time, followed by the veg stock paste. Bring to the boil, stir and simmer until thickened, 1-2 mins. Stir in the creme fraiche, then remove from the heat.

Add the Dijon mustard, Cheddar cheese and grated hard Italian cheese. Stir until combined and melted. Season with salt and pepper.

When the sweet potato is ready, remove it from the oven and turn your grill on to high.

Stir the sweet potato into the sauce along with the cooked macaroni. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce if needed, then transfer to an appropriately sized ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the sage crumb.

Pop it under the grill until golden and bubbling, 1-2 mins.