Free Pizza

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

For the salsa

3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

½ fresh red chilli, or to taste, deseeded and finely chopped

2 green tomatoes, finely chopped

1 red tomato, deseeded and finely chopped

1 small bunch of fresh curly parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp cider vinegar

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Get started by making your marinade. Whack the cayenne, paprika and a pinch each of salt and pepper into a pestle and mortar with the fresh herbs and grind them together. Add your garlic, olive oil and mustard and grind again — the oil will help all the flavours come out. When you’ve got a thick, treacly paste, transfer it to a large bowl and toss your pieces of meat in it until they are completely coated. Cover with clingfilm, then pop the bowl into the fridge and leave for at least 20-30 minutes or, if you really want those flavours to do their work, for a few hours or even overnight.

Heat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 and pop in your foil-wrapped sweet potatoes to roast for about 1 hour. When they’re nearly ready, make your salsa. It’s lovely and fresh, with the right amount of heat, crunch, herbiness, acid and salt to bring it all to life. Put all your salsa ingredients into a bowl, with a good pinch of sea salt to bring out the flavour of the tomatoes. Give it all a good mix.

When the sweet potatoes are ready, take them out of the oven but leave them in the foil so they stay warm. Put a large pan or wok on a high heat and get it screaming hot. Quickly but carefully add your marinated meat and let it cook for a few minutes on each side so it gets some nice colour.

Unwrap your sweet potatoes and put them on plates. Score them down the middle, then gently squeeze them so they pucker up. Serve your lovely cooked meat on top, and cover with a few spoonfuls of fresh salsa. And that’s it — beautiful meat, soft sweet potatoes and fresh lively salsa.

Jamie’s America by Jamie Oliver, with photographs by David Loftus, is published on Thursday (Michael Joseph £26). You can buy it for £25 with free p&p in the UK. If you order Jamie’s America, you can also purchase Jamie’s Italy, getting both books for £30. Call 0843 060 0021 and quote reference JO/SundayTimes. Allow 7-10 working days for delivery

Jamie’s American Road Trip starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday at 9pm

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