BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes

1. Heat the oven to 450F and wash and dry all the produce. Cut the sweet potatoes into ½-inch-thick wedges, toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper, and roast until browned and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, halve and peel the onion; slice ¼ cup as thinly as you can and finely chop the rest. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Halve the lime and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Halve the buns, melt 1 tbsp butter in another small bowl, and brush it over the cut sides.
3. Add the sliced onion, ¼ tsp sugar and a pinch of salt to the lime juice; stir and leave to quick-pickle.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the chopped onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the pork, season, and cook, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. While the pork cooks, mix the BBQ sauce, the pickling liquid from the onion, 3 tbsp ketchup, ½ tsp sugar and ¼ cup water in a small bowl. Stir this into the cooked pork and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes, then taste and season.
6. Toast the buns in the oven until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Fill them with the BBQ pork, top with the pickled onion and hot sauce, and serve with the sweet potato wedges.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Get the onion pickling in lime juice while everything else cooks. That sharp tang balances the sweet sauce.
• Break the pork up properly as it browns so the sauce gets right into every bit.
• Reduce the sauce until it clings to the meat. Too loose and it'll soak straight into the buns.
• Toast and butter the buns so they can stand up to the saucy filling.