I’ve had the idea to make a recipe for sweet potato salad since last summer. I wasn’t quite sure how to make a sweet potato salad (and when I have a recipe idea for the blog, I don’t like to cheat using Google*.) I tossed the idea around in my head through every season until we got right back to summer–and I think summer is the perfect time for this dish.
- Explore: Sweet Potato Chai Rice Pilaf
The seasoning mix that coats the roasted potatoes is a nod to BBQ–a quintessential summer style of cooking. It’s a recipe that is tasty warm or cold so it’s a great make ahead dish for summer party pot lucks. And it’s a no mayo sweet potato salad so you don’t have to worry so much about it sitting out in the heat for a bit.
I toyed around with lots of mix-in ideas for this potato salad. I ended up with just two: bacon and scallions. And I think it’s the right decision. The bacon adds a savory element to offset the sweetness in the potatoes, spice rub, and honey mustard vinaigrette. The scallions offer a bright, fresh pop of flavor and color. The tangy, sweet vinaigrette requires just five ingredients that you definitely have in the pantry.
Ok, I know I said that this is a perfect summer dish; but honestly, I’ll probably be bringing this one out all year round!
*Truly. I know there are very few new ideas in food–especially in the recipe blog world, so I usually create a concept and test recipes before I turn to Google. Once I have my recipe, then I take a peek at my competition!
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet potatoes ~4 lbs; peeled and diced into ~½-1-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or light olive oil
- 4 slices bacon cooked until crispy and cut or crumbled into small pieces
- 4 scallions sliced thinly
Spice Mix (See Note)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp onion powder
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 425F degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the spices for the spice mixture.
- Place the peeled, diced sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add the oil and toss well to coat the potatoes evenly. Then add the spice mix and toss well to coat the potatoes evenly. Spray a half sheet pan with non-stick spray–or cover with parchment paper. Spread the potatoes evenly on the sheet pan and place in pre-heated oven. Roast for ~30-minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway through. Remove when the sweet potatoes are just starting to brown and the largest chunks are fork tender. Set aside to cool for about 15-minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, salt, and apple cider vinegar until well combined. Then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking constantly.
- Add the roasted potatoes to a large bowl (that one you used originally works fine–you don't even need to clean it!) Add the bacon and scallions. Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture and gently toss to coat the potatoes, bacon, and scallions evenly with the dressing.Serve warm immediately. Or refrigerate until needed and serve cold or room temperature.
Notes
- If you don’t feel like mixing together all of these spices, use your favorite pre-mixed BBQ seasoning. About 1/4 cup will do.
- To save time, fry the bacon and cut the scallions while the potatoes are roasting.
Charred Lemon Garlic Snap Peas
I love sweet potatoes, and this is my new favorite way to eat them in the summer. I mean, sweet potatoes with bacon – how could you go wrong?