Do you want a salad that really says “Fall?” A little more substantial, delicious warm, with some cooked vegetables as well as raw? This Mediterranean-inspired sweet potato salad delivers a riot of colors, flavors, and textures to wake your palate from its slumber. With tender sweet potato cubes, crunchy celery and peppers, tangy olives and capers, and a garlicky lemon dressing, this is sure to be your new Fall favorite.
How to Make Sweet Potato Salad
I cubed the sweet potato, leaving the skin on. If you don’t want the skin in your salad, go ahead and peel the sweet potato before cubing. Then, I steamed the cubes for about 10 minutes. The time will vary, depending on the size of your cubes. Pierce a few of the cubes with a paring knife to see if it’s all tender.
If you need a good steamer pan to use, check out this one.
I let the sweet potatoes cool. While they let off steam, I chop the rest of the veggies, and stir up the dressing. Fresh lemon juice and extra oilve oil are a perfectly tart, peppery balance for the sweet potatoes. Yes, I did put in a few more cloves of garlic than you might expect. Garlic is one of my favorite flavors, and hey, it’s good for you!
No Mayo, Just Mediterranean Flavors
This is a salad I go to when I’m cooking for people who want to avoid potatoes, for any reason. Sweet potatoes have tons of fiber and healthful properties, so they pass muster with low-carb eaters. Skipping the usual mayonnaise dressing makes this even more plant-forward, with the light, lemony dressing allowing the sweetness of the potatoes to play off of the tangy olives and capers.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Salad
White sweet potatoes are a variety of sweet potato that has a pale color, but it tastes much like orange sweet potatoes. I like to use white ones for this salad so that it resembles a regular potato salad, but once you bite into it, you get a creamy sweetness.
Artichoke hearts are a convenient canned ingredient, I always keep a can in the pantry.
Celery, Bell Pepper, Red Onion and Parsley are the fresh additions, all chopped into small pieces. Garlic cloves are minced for a kick of raw, peppery garlic flavor.
Kalamata Olives and Capers are convenient jarred addtions, and each adds a piquancy and some fermented umami flavors.
Sweet Potato and Artichoke Heart Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound white sweet potatoes
- 1 15 ounce can artichoke hearts drained
- 4 ribs celery chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 1/2 large yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cube the sweet potato, then steam until tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool completely.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add the artichokes, celery, parsley, red onion, yellow pepper, olives and capers.
- In a bowl, whisk the lemon, garlic, salt and pepper, and whisk in the olive oil.
- Pour over the sweet potato mixture and toss gently to mix. Serve at room temperature, or chill. Keeps, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Love this combination. I can’t wait to try it!
The sweetness really works with all the pickled bits. Yum.