Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Chili Garlic Vinaigrette

I think it’s safe to say I’ve been on a big sweet potato kick this year. Mashed, roasted, baked…breakfast, lunch, dinner. I love that sweet potatoes taste amazing, are simple to prepare and pack a nutritional punch. Did you know that one medium sweet potato only has around 100 calories and contains nearly four times your daily recommended Vitamin A.

I was researching ideas for recipes to make for our teacher training potluck and came across a lot of potato salad recipes. I thought to myself, “hmm…I wonder if sweet potato salad is a thing?” A quick Google search showed that it is!

Just a few short hours later I was putting together this beautiful bowl of roasted sweet potatoes and red onions, cilantro and peppers and tossed it with a homemade chili garlic vinaigrette.

I got the inspiration for the dish from Mark Bittman but made a few modifications. First, I roasted my potatoes and onions in coconut oil instead of olive. Second, I omitted the black beans in order to make this Paleo and Whole30 friendly since we some TTs on Whole30 or special diets. And lastly, I sautéed the jalapeno and garlic that went into the vinaigrette rather than leaving them raw because I wanted to mellow them out a bit. Next time I would also leave the skin on the potatoes when roasting. I’m a big fan of eating potato skin along with the potato when it make sense and I think you wouldn’t really even notice in this recipe.

This sweet potato salad is great warm, at room temperature or slightly chilled. You could easily prep it all the day before an event and it would taste great the next day.

If you love sweet potatoes like me, this is a summer picnic or barbecue must! I think friends and family will also enjoy the new take on traditional potato salad! And if you’re looking for more potato salad inspiration, this Lemon Feta Potato Salad is one of my all-time favorites!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Chili Garlic Vinaigrette

(Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman)

Ingredients: 

FOR THE SALAD
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled (or skin intact and scrubbed well) and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 red onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 red, yellow or orange pepper, seeded and dliced
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
Juice of two limes
1/3 cup olive oil + 1 teaspoon

Directions: 

FOR THE POTATO MIXTURE

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes and onions in a large bowl and drizzle with coconut oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat (add a little more oil if needed) and then place on a baking sheet in a single layer. I like to roast on parchment or foil for easy clean up.

Roast sweet potato onion mixture for 30-40 minutes, checking frequently and giving it a stir about half way through.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

Place one teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet and heat to shimmering. Add jalapeno and saute until softened. Add garlic and saute for another 30-45 seconds until fragrant but DO NOT let it brown or burn. You may even want to take it off the heat as soon as you add it and just let it cook from the heat that’s already in the pan.

Place sauteed chile and garlic in a small food processor (or blender) and add lime juice and remaining oil. Blend until well combined and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

TO ASSMEBLE THE SALAD

Place roasted sweet potatoes and onions, chopped pepper and cilantro in a bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Taste and do a final salt and pepper seasoning if necessary.

Serve salad warm, at room temp or slightly chilled.

Yield: 6-8 side dish servings