Here’s a wonderful sweet potato salad that you can make ahead of time if you want. Just stash it in the fridge and have it available to have with your favourite meat for dinner, to accompany a gourmet sandwich or to enjoy by itself.
A word about process. Don’t be tempted to do that TV chef thing and put the potato cubes directly on the baking sheet, casually drizzle over oil and roast. When you do that, there is inevitably too much oil, and the potatoes steam rather than roast, so they don’t get those nice, crisp edges, but are mushy and soft. Lightly toss the potatoes with a small amount of oil in a bowl, rubbing around with your hands to get a little coating on each cube, then lift the potatoes out of the bowl onto a baking sheet (I line mine with non-stick foil for easy cleaning), leaving any extra oil behind. I do this with all my roasted vegetables.
Serves ~4 depending on how you use it
1 kg sweet potatoes (about 4 medium)
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 – 4 fresh sage leaves
pinch salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Ground black pepper
4 shallots, green and white parts, finely chopped
2/3 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
2/3 cup dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 180°.
Method
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-2cm pieces. You want them to be bite-sized and roughly the same size so they roast evenly.
Toss the potato cubes with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Use your hands to make sure every potato cube has just a slick of oil on it.
Lift the potatoes out of the bowl onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast them for 25 – 30 minutes, until a knife easily slides into a potato piece. You want them to be cooked through but not mushy. They should still hold their shape and have a little bite. Cool the potatoes to room temperature.
Put the mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, sage, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil until you have an emulsified dressing.
When the potatoes are cool, gently toss them with the shallots, pecans and cranberries. Pour over the dressing and toss until all the potatoes are coated. It’s fine if you prefer not to use all the dressing, but reserve the remainder in case you want to add some later.
Refrigerate the potato salad, tightly covered, for several hours or up to a few days.
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