It’s nearly Thanksgiving here in Canada, and we’re in for a beautiful one. Our Thanksgiving falls on the second weekend of October every year. And because of this, all bets are off weather-wise. Some years it’s hard to get into turkey mode because it’s too hot. Other years the cold finds us early and brings some rain along for the miserable ride. This year looks to be somewhere in the middle. Sunny and warm but not balmy. All good news when you’re putting in considerable oven time but don’t want to jumpstart your seasonal depression. But regardless of the weather in your local forecast, this Warm Sweet Potato Salad will be happily at home on your table. It has bright and fresh flavors alongside cozy, earthy ones. And despite its name, this salad is good warm or cold. I know, I’ve done the research. So let’s get to it!
Before we learn how to make this salad, let’s talk about what it actually is. This Warm Sweet Potato Salad features cozy, creamy chunks of roasted sweet potato dusted with BBQ seasoning and served alongside sharp briny olives, juicy plum slices, and torn bitter radicchio. But for me, the true star of this salad is its Creamy Date Tahini Dressing. It’s good on everything from coleslaw to sandwiches. Thankfully, this recipe makes a rather large batch of the dressing. So I hope you’ll experiment with the leftovers and let me know what else it’s good with. But you must promise me you’ll dip your pizza crusts in it. Creamy garlic has nothing on this stuff.
Okay, so this isn’t exactly a speedy recipe. But it is exceptionally hands-off, so there’s that. The first thing we’re going to do is cut our sweet potatoes into big, meaty chunks. They reduce in size as they cook, so if the pieces you’re cutting look a little too big they’re probably perfect. Pile the potatoes into a large pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and add salt and a little baking soda. The baking soda gives the water a higher alkalinity which encourages the exterior of the potatoes to break down a little more. Why do we want this? Well, the roughed-up exterior of the potato pieces will transform into crispy, frazzled edges when roasted. Who doesn’t want that!? Boil the potatoes until they’re fork-tender.
There is one more hands-off thing we have to set in motion before we can actually start putting this recipe together. And that task is soaking some dates. We want the dates to be nice and soft because we’re going to puree them for the dressing. On top of that, the date-soaking liquid is also a crucial dressing ingredient. But we’ll get to that a little later. So while the potatoes are boiling, place three pitted, medjool dates in a bowl. Cover them with about a cup of recently boiled water. Set them aside to soak and soften for 20 minutes.
Once your potatoes are done, drain them and place them in a large bowl. Add olive oil and carefully toss to coat. The potatoes should be quite soft, so deploy your tongs with care or you might wind up with mashed potatoes instead. When the potatoes are coated transfer them to a large baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Spread them out evenly and sprinkle them with a little salt. Pop them in a 425°F oven and bake them for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through. Again, time-consuming but hands-off.
While the potatoes are roasting, let’s tackle the dressing. Place the dates in a food processor and add a peeled clove of garlic and two tablespoons of the date-soaking liquid. Blitz until a paste forms. To the dates add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tahini, and salt. Blitz until very smooth. The dressing will be very thick at this point because of the tahini. But don’t worry, we’re going to get it to dressing consistency by adding the juice of a lemon and as much of the date-soaking liquid as we need. It’s up to you how thick you want your dressing to be. And you will be surprised by how much liquid you can add without making the dressing runny. I wound up using all the lemon juice and date-soaking liquid and my dressing was perfectly creamy.
When the dressing reaches the consistency you’re looking for add a tablespoon of whole-grain mustard and stir. I’m adding the mustard at the end because what’s the point of adding whole-grain mustard if you’re just going to blitz it into oblivion? Transfer the finished dressing to a squeeze bottle and place it in the fridge until you’re ready for it. And just so you know, this recipe will give you quite a bit of dressing and that is not a bad thing. It keeps in the fridge for a week and it tastes amazing on just about everything. Seriously, try dipping your pizza crusts in it, you won’t be sorry.
Okay, so the rest of this salad is a cinch. All we have left to do is pit some green olives, tear some radicchio, and slice a red plum. When the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle them with your favorite BBQ rub (I love this one) or Cajun seasoning. Give them a quick toss to coat. Add the plum slices, radicchio, and olives to the potatoes. Toss everything together and transfer them to a large platter. Squirt the dressing all over the salad and finish with fresh parsley and a little more BBQ seasoning. And that’s your salad done.
That’s everything you need to know about this Warm Sweet Potato Salad. Sweet, tangy, bitter, and briny, this salad truly has it all.
Enjoy!
Warm Sweet Potato Salad with Date Tahini Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Large baking sheet
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
Date Tahini Dressing
- 3 medjool dates pitted
- 1 cup recently boiled water
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard heaping
Warm Sweet Potato Salad
- 3 large sweet potatoes cut into large chunks
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp BBQ seasoning **
- ½ head small radicchio torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red plum sliced
- 1 cup green olives pitted, torn in half
- Fresh parsley leaves for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set it aside.
- Place the dates in a bowl and cover with the recently boiled water. Let soak for 20 minutes.3 medjool dates, 1 cup recently boiled water
- While the dates are soaking, place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Place the pot over high heat. When it comes to a boil, liberally salt the water and add the baking soda. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.3 large sweet potatoes, ½ tsp baking soda
- When the potatoes are done, drain them and place them in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and gently give the potatoes a toss, taking care not to mash them. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet and pop them in the oven. Roast them for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through.2 tbsp olive oil
- While the potatoes are roasting make the dressing. Transfer the dates to a food processor or blender. Add the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the date-soaking liquid. Blitz until a paste forms.1 clove garlic
- To the date paste add the tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Blitz until very smooth. It should be quite thick at this point. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the lemon juice and as much of the date-soaking liquid as you need to achieve the consistency you want. I wound up using it all.¼ cup tahini, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp salt, 1 lemon
- Once you have your dressing at the consistency you want, add the mustard and stir to combine. Transfer the finished dressing to a squeeze bottle and chill until ready to use. ***1 tbsp whole grain mustard
- Take the potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the BBQ or Cajun seasoning and toss to coat.1 tbsp BBQ seasoning **
- Add the radicchio, plum slices, and green olives. Toss everything together and transfer it to a platter. Squeeze the dressing evenly over the salad and garnish with parsley and serve immediately.½ head small radicchio, 1 large red plum, 1 cup green olives, Fresh parsley leaves