Salads in the winter kind of suck, no? Without the farmer’s markets or our own gardens for fresh pickin’s, we’re left with flavorless tomatoes, blah lettuce and veggies from Chile (have you seen that weird commercial for Jewel-Osco?). So, when I found this recipe for a salad made with sweet potatoes, I got pretty excited. But I had zero idea of what to expect! All I knew was that Ricky B. says it’s “Really delicious, if a little unconventional.”
He uses watercress in the original recipe, but does say it can be replaced with mâche, arugula or sliced romaine. The watercress was looking weak at Harvest Time this week, and they had bags of baby aurugla that looked delicious, so this “riff” was fated. I normally like to treat arugula as an herb, rather than a lettuce, but it really does work well in this recipe. It’s strong flavor is an interesting compliment to the sweetness of the caramelized onions and sweet potatoes as well as to the slightly spicy dressing.
The Recipe
Sweet Potato Salad
from Mexican Everyday
Serves 8
Heat in a large skillet
3/4 cup vegetable oil, olive oil or a mixture of the two
Add
2 medium dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in quarters
Turn and stir until the chiles smell toasty (about 30 seconds). Remove from the heat, then transfer to a blender jar (leaving the garlic and oil in the pain). Add
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (or balsamic, champagne or white wine — try different ones for different flavors)
scant teaspoon salt
Blend for 30 seconds. When the oil and garlic are cool, add them to the blender and blend until the dressing is smooth. Pour it in a jar and secure the lid.
Without washing the skillet, return it to medium heat and add
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Cook the onion, stirring regularly, until it is soft and “richly browned” which should take 9-10 minutes.
Add
3 medium (approx. 2 lbs) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup of the reshaken dressing
1 teaspoon of salt
Stir well. Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Most of the dressing should be absorbed by the potatoes. Taste and season with salt.
Create “nests” of arugula (or any of the other aforementioned “lettuces”) and scoop in the potatoes. Drizzle with a little more of the dressing.
woah- those photos turned out pretty nice!
I’m just imagining the contrast of the warm/spicy potato mixture against the cool/peppery arugula. I love the contrasts in food.
So, thanks, this recipe is now going to become a must-make, because I’m sitting here drooling.