I’m currently honing my recipe for German potato salad (I didn’t get my aunt’s recipe before her recent death, so I’m trying to recreate it as best I can). This has me thinking about potato salad in general – and I’m wondering if there’s such a thing as sweet potato salad. I love sweet potatoes – baked, roasted, mashed, french-fried – so why not?
If so – what’s in it? Is the dressing mayo-based or vinegar-based?
If not – why not?
I’ve tried, but it’s just too mushy. I ended up adding raisins and curry and just making it like a dip. It was good on pita bread.
My mom used to make this salad - it’s absolutely to die for. The dressing is vinegar, mustard, and honey-based. I don’t ordinarily like sweet potatoes or honey-mustard, but this is the best stuff going. I could eat an entire recipe of this in one sitting.
Here’s one off my Hubby’s website:
Sweet Potato Salad
5 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled, cut into 3/4" chunks
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 tbsp honey
1/4 cup salad oil
1 yellow or red pepper, diced
2 bunches scallions, chopped fine
Salt and white pepper to taste
Boil or steam the sweet potatoes until just done. Shock immediately in ice water to cool. Drain well. Combine the thyme, coconut milk, lime juice, honey and salad oil in a non-reactive mixing bowl, and combine well. Combine the cooled sweet potatoes, diced pepper and scallions, and pour the dressing over it. Toss gently, and season to taste with salt and pepper, retossing gently.
QuercusMax – I’m not a big broccoli fan, so I think I’ll try Olive’s hubby’s first – unless somebody comes along with something even more intriguing … 
I made one last week. No recipe really, but I cubed the SP’s and roasted them in the oven rather than boiling them, which makes them richer and sweeter tasting. Tossed with home made bleu cheese dressing, green onion and some tarragon (just because I have a plant, parsley would be cool too). But roasting is the key.
There are several sweet potato souffle recipes. Cooked right it’s a fantastic dish. (The thought of sweet potatoes and mayonnaise aren’t pleasant, however- kind of like bananas and Tabasco sauce.)
My dad makes a nice one:
Sweet potato puffs
4 cups cooked mashed sweet potato
4 tbsp oil
1/2 cup cream or milk
salt and pepper
(I’d knock in some nutmeg, meself)
2 eggs, separated
Whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Mix remaining ingredients, then fold in egg white. Scoop into casserole disk and bake at 375 until hot in centre. I have no idea how long this is.
Wow, I should try again. The times I tried to make it, tossing the cubed and cooked potatoes turned them into mush.
My favourite sweet potato (or kumara as we Kiwi’s call it) salad recipe is very simple but really good.
Pre-heat the oven (180). Cut the kumara in to bite sized cubes, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper and mix with fingers to make sure every piece of kumara is covered. Roast until golden and slightly crispy on the outside.
Cool the kumara and then mix with rocket (arugula?). Make a simple dressing-usually just extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper (but sometimes I add garlic or herbs or even some Dijon mustard).
Top with crumbled feta, roughly chopped flat leaf parsely and toasted pinenuts.
Yummy.
I’ve been making this one for a few years. Love it.
Spicy Sweet Potato Salad
2 sweet potatoes
1 pound red potatoes
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
1 large red onion
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Wash, pierce with a fork, and microwave the sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes until tender. Boil the red potatoes in salted water until tender. Be careful not to overcook. Drain red potatoes and chill all three types overnight.
Peel the sweet potatoes and Yukon Golds, and dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut red potatoes into fourths. Place all potatoes into a large bowl.
Slice red onion thinly and place into a colander. Sprinkle the salt on the onion and let it sit in the colander for 30 minutes to drain. Squeeze onion to remove excess water, and add to the bowl with the potatoes.
Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice, mayonnaise, curry powder, parsley and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.
Forgot to add – I usually sub in plain yogurt for the mayo, and it works really well.
Thanks for the tips, all. Sounds like roasting the sweet potatoes is the key – the yogurt and curry dressing sounds good (though I’d probably do a much less labor-intensive version of it), as does vinegar and bleu cheese. Will do some experimenting and report back.
I slice my sweet potatoes about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick, rub em with a little oil, salt and pepper, then grill them. If I have some green onions and corn, I throw them on the grill, too. For the dressing, I make a spicy vinaigrette. I got the idea from combining a couple of different recipes, like this one.