Vanilla-Flavoured Sweet Potato with Oranges

Another one of those dishes I wanted to try after a weekend hanging out with the cookbooks. I've been researching Japanese food, and I liked the lightness of this dish. Unfortunately, I cooked it too early while preparing dinner, so it was quite cold by the time the Roast Pork Loin was ready. I may also have simmered the liquid for too long. Oh, but smell the orange and vanilla!

Serves 4
225g (8oz) sweet potato, peeled
1 orange, sliced
1 vanilla bean, slit lengthways
50g (2 oz) granulated sugar

Chop the sweet potato into chunks 2.5cm (1in) thick and soak in cold water. Drain, then put the chunks in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Drain off the cooking water. Add the orange slices, vanilla bean, sugar and 450ml (16fl oz) of fresh water to the pan and cook until the potato is soft.

Take out the chunks of potato and transfer them to a serving dish. Reduce the liquid by half and drizzle it over the potato.