Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Grilling: Sweet Potato Salad

Posted by Joshua Bousel, May 16, 2008 at 11:15 AM

I spent a lot of my winter attempting to perfect the roasted sweet potato. The pursuit of the perfect balance between creamy interior and crunchy exterior proved a difficult one, but alas I triumphed and the experience left me a certified sweet potato junkie. The spring has marked a turn toward greener vegetables, but withdrawal hit me hard this week and I had to return for another taste of the that velvety orange sweetness.

Although roasting the ideal sweet potato was no easy feat, grilling made easy work of this. There was a catch with this though: by the time the sweet potato would be fully cooked inside, I'd be left with one massively charred outside. So in order to achieve a potato worthy to satisfy my addiction, I had to first boil it until slightly soft, then finish the cooking on the grill. I added some spring greenery of scallions, cilantro, and a lime vinaigrette to finish the dish. Although the dressing soaked away some of the great crispiness I got grilling the potatoes, the end result was still more than enough to get me through until the next craving hits, which is bound to be soon.

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

- serves 6 -
Adapted from Gourmet

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 scallion
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Lime wedges
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Procedure

1. In a large saucepan cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and simmer, covered, until a paring knife inserted into the potato comes out with some resistance, about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on size of potatoes.

2. Light 1 chimney full of charcoal. While the charcoal is lighting and potatoes are boiling, whisk together oil, salt, and cumin in a small bowl.

3. In a colander drain potatoes and rinse under cold water to cool. With a sharp knife peel potatoes and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush oil mixture onto both sides of potato slices, reserving remaining cumin oil.

4. Grill slices on an oiled grate directly over the hot coals until golden brown, about 1-3 minutes on each side, and transfer with tongs to a platter.

5. Thinly slice scallion diagonally and sprinkle over potatoes. Whisk lime juice into remaining cumin oil with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over potatoes. Serve potato salad with lime wedges and sprinkled with cilantro.

9 Comments Favorite this!  (0)

Tags: gluten-free, grilling, salads, sides, sweet potatoes, vegetarian