Sweet Potato Salad

Jalapeño lime vinaigrette gives this sweet potato salad with red peppers and black beans a spicy kick. Try leftovers as a quesadilla filling.

Now that temperatures seem to be steadily on the rise, a favorite warm weather activity can commence—dining alfresco. It’s about time!

Weekends spent lounging on the deck with friends and family mean sampling a smorgasbord of seasonal eats.

Food just taste better eaten outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

A dish I tend to avoid at these gatherings is potato salad. Nothing seems less appealing on a hot day than food coated in creamy dressing or mayo.

The majority of people must disagree with me, or potato salad would have lost its prominent position a long time ago. It still seems to be going strong. What do I know?!

My negative feelings toward this ubiquitous side changed the first time I made this roasted sweet potato salad. It’s a version that breaks from tradition.

There’s no heavy dressing, and it has plenty of vegetables. It’s more along the lines of how I like to eat.

How To Make Sweet Potato Salad

I started by roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven. It didn’t take long for the potatoes to be tender and start to brown at the edges.

While the sweet potatoes were cooking, I made the dressing in the blender, a spicy jalapeño lime vinaigrette.

I’ve experimented with this recipe a bunch of different ways–roasting just the sweet potatoes or including the peppers and onions, too.

Crunch is really important in salads, so I kept the red peppers and onions fresh and didn’t cook them.

It doesn’t have to be a potluck or a party for me to eat sweet potato salad. I often make a bigger batch to ensure I have leftovers that get a second life as a filling for quesadillas or a mix-in for brown rice or quinoa.

Sweet potatoes are such a reliable vegetable that I make this salad no matter the season. 

Sweet Potato Salad

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

Print Recipe

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Description

Jalapeño lime vinaigrette gives this sweet potato salad with red peppers and black beans a spicy kick. Try leftovers as a quesadilla filling.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1–1/2 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch for dressing
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus a pinch for dressing
• 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeno, minced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
• 1–15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the sweet potatoes on a foil-lined sheet pan. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until a knife easily pierces the potatoes, and the edges have started to brown. Set aside.
3. To make the dressing, place the jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a pinch of both salt and pepper in a blender. Process until fully blended.
4. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, onions, red peppers and black beans. Toss with cilantro and the dressing.
5. Serve at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 days.

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Notes

Adapted from The New York Times September 2009 by Mark Bittman