Potato salad – a surprisingly contentious subject. I am, I believe, genetically predisposed to adore the mayo-riddle stuff so many revile. Potato salad of the creamy, eggy variety is about as down-home East Coast as you can get. The only green stuff you’re liable to find in this style of “salad” is a few slices of celery. I love the stuff! It tastes like my childhood. But I was very surprised to learn that the whole world doesn’t share my devotion – the nerve of it all! So, for everyone who criticizes the “gloopy” nature of the undeniable classic, there is this Warm Sweet Potato Salad with Scape Miso Pesto.
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Okay, so you may be wondering why I, a potato salad lover, would go through the trouble of concocting a version for the potato-salad-averse. Well, what can I say? I’m a very giving person…I’m joking, I did it because I was bored and wanted something a little different. And really, there are only so many mayo-coated potatoes a person can eat and still feel good about their life choices.
Now, I am aware there is such a thing as German potato salad. I have had it and I have liked certain renditions of it. But it has never captured my heart. Perhaps it is because it lacks nostalgia for me. Or maybe the vinaigrette feels too virtuous for a big ol’ bowl of carbs. I don’t know. All I can say is I tried and I can enjoy it somewhat but beyond that, there isn’t much more for me to say on the subject.
What is more appealing to me is the concept of a potato salad with an Asian bent. It isn’t exactly a secret that I adore Asian food. My fridge could double as an Asian grocery store at this point. So, when the concept of today’s Warm Sweet Potato Salad started to build in my head, it was only a question of when – not if – I would make it.
In spite of being a central ingredient, the garlic scapes were a late addition to this recipe. At this time of year, I like to keep my menu planning brain limber because you just never know what you’re going to find during your trip the market. There are so many wonderful things in season right now and it would be criminal to not take advantage. The scapes I used in this recipe were a random find at my local grocery store, so into the somewhat planned miso pesto they went. And, oh boy! I’m so glad they did.
With the decision to use miso as my main source of umami and salt in the pesto, came a whole host of Asian stand-ins for the more typical pesto ingredients. In place of pine nuts, I deployed cashews. I ditched the olive oil for sesame. And I amped up the sweet with a hit of mirin. Y’all seemed very into this pesto situation when I posted it in my stories on Instagram. But if you missed it and you’re looking for a little step-by-step action, you can find the how-to in my saved stories.
Then it came down to what I would put in my salad. Obviously, potatoes had to be involved, but I wanted color and contrast, so boring ol’ white potatoes were out. Yams and the most adorable purple baby potatoes were very much in. I rounded the salad out with gochugaru encrusted grilled corn, cut from the cob, and smashed wasabi peas for crunch and a hit of heat. Finally, I finished things off with a sprinkling of nori and my Warm Sweet Potato Salad was complete.
So, there you have it. Not a hard-boiled egg or shred of celery in sight. Oh, and more importantly, no mayo. Honestly, I wouldn’t be averse to adding a squeeze of Kewpie mayonnaise but I’ll leave that to your discretion. But if you are planning on consuming your potato salad with a side of lobster, please for the love of fish tacos, go with a mayo-based salad. It may hurt your waistline but it will hurt me more to know someone somewhere is eating lobster without mayo…and melted butter. Yeah, it’s not a light meal.
Okay, so I may not be totally in support of usurping the original, but this Warm Sweet Potato Salad is a bit of a scene-stealer. It has all the tools for success. Spice, crunch, buttery textures and tons of umami. It’s a hard salad not to love. So, even if you rep hard for the original, I swear there is room in your life for another potato salad. And if that is coming from me, you know it’s true.
Pair this Warm Sweet Potato Salad with various teriyaki-ed proteins, braised tofu or lime-cured shrimp. It will make your heart sing even if mayo is your co-pilot. This salad is edible proof that it is possible to love more than one potato salad.
Enjoy!
FollowWarm Sweet Potato Salad with Scape Miso Pesto
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Scape Miso Pesto
- 1 cup garlic scapes coarsely chopped
- 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 1 1/2 tbsp white miso
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Warm Sweet Potato Salad with Scape Miso Pesto
- 2 large sweet potatoes cut into bite-sized cubes
- 12-14 purple baby potatoes cut into wedges
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 2 ears corn shucked and broken in two
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- 1/2 cup wasabi peas smashed
- 1 sheet nori cut into short ribbons
- 1 avocado pitted and sliced
- sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Pesto
- Place the scapes in a large food processor and blitz until they resemble mulch. Add the cashews and the miso and blitz until integrated.
- Set the food processor to its lowest setting and stream in the mirin, lime juice, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Blitz until uniform, then transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Salad
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Place the sweet potatoes and purple potatoes in a large bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over top and add 1 teaspoon of the salt. Toss to coat.
- Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown.
- While the potatoes are roasting, coat the corn in the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle the gochugaru evenly over the corn and repeat with the remaining salt.
- Oil a cast iron griddle pan with a little vegetable or coconut oil and place over high heat until smoking. Add the corn and grill on all sides until blistered, about 5 minutes. Transfer the corn to a plate and set aside to cool slightly.
- Once the potatoes are done, transfer them to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the scape miso pesto and toss to coat. Divide the potatoes amongst four bowls and set aside.
- Cut the corn off of the cobs and sprinkle the kernels over each bowl of potatoes. Top with smashed wasabi peas, nori ribbons, avocado slices and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve immediately with a light Asian beer.
2 Comments
Love your photographs and this seems like such an inventive take on potato salad! If I can find garlic scapes at the farmer’s market I will be trying this. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Sylvia! Hope you can get your hands on those scapes.