this purple sweet potato salad satisfies your carb-y, mediterranean cravings while also making sure you get your greens in.
i demean potatoes every day. one of my friends and i use the term “potato” to denote how little lazy we are, or how casual our clothes look in particular instances, or how bad my phone is as a camera. i’m not alone though: the very reputable urban dictionary has a similar definition of potato.
why are we so derogatory towards potatoes? and not that going out isn’t fun (i dressed up as an 80s jazzercise lady for halloween, and inhaled some chicken curry and smoked eggplant at supergood kitchen, a yuzu cocktail at miniboss, 2 sips of an amf at some dive bar, and a brandy/vermouth/lavender drink and wings at paper plane, with half a quesadilla from la vic’s for dessert), but i could probably stand to be more potato-like these days. my wallet, my stomach and my sleep schedule don’t like me much when i’m having a good time.
besides, souvla in sf serves a purple sweet potato salad, and it's anything but potato-y. there's tangy pickled red onion, crunchy toasted walnuts, briny feta and kalamatas.
i like using a mix of kale and arugula, so it's not all dense kale or bitter arugula but instead a balance. the creamy, garlicky dressing is delicious (as are the rest of the toppings), though the stars are the purple sweet potatoes.
they're almost chestnut-like in flavor, much less starchy than a normal sweet potato, and get sweeter in the oven. did i mention that they're also delicious when made into sweet potato haupia pie bars?!
happy lunching!
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup water
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 4 medium Japanese purple sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 4 cups mixed greens
- ½ cup kalamata olives chopped
- ½ cup toasted walnuts chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta
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Whisk vinegar, sugar, salt and water in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion in a jar; pour vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
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On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt.
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Roast at 450F for 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. While the potatoes are still hot, toss with the spices. Cool slightly.
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Whisk everything, seasoning with salt and pepper to coat.
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If you’re using hearty greens (ie kale), toss the dressing with the kale and let marinate for 30-45 minutes. Right before you’re ready to assemble, toss in delicate greens (ie spinach, arugula, romaine).
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Divide the greens among 4 bowls. Top with the sweet potatoes, pickled red onions, olives, walnuts and feta.
Inspired by Souvla, recipe adapted slightly from Making Thyme for Health.
other tasty salads besides this purple sweet potato salad
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats says
I loooove potatoes!! And how fun are purple potatoes?!! Yes!! And totally digging that this recipe doesn’t have mayonnaise in it too. Thank you for that!!!
Laura says
I love this salad! And purple sweet potatoes? Yes, please! They are so pretty, and i’ll take sweet potatoes anytime, any way! Love all the flavors here!
Mimi says
WOW! I expected to see purple potatoes, but not all this! This is beautiful! I love all of the seasoning you did, and the dressing, and the goodies... Thia is fabulous!
Stephen C Wren says
I was blown away by how good this salad is. I massaged and blanched the kale for 5min. Really softened up the kale. The recipe is a bit complicated but very much worth the effort. I did use liquid aminos instead of soy. Excellent salad.