Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Calling all potato salad lovers! Have you ever tried swapping your Yukon golds for orange-fleshed sweet potatoes? This sweet potato salad recipe is a nice change from the old-fashioned potato salad you’d expect at a cookout or potluck. Loaded with sweet potatoes, tart cherries, crunchy walnuts and fresh parsley, it’s full of nutritious whole foods that bring some color to the picnic table.

How to make Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 4-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Bake at 400° for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, cherries, parsley and potatoes. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, lime zest and salt. Pour over potato mixture and toss to coat. Serve warm or cold.

Tips

• This roasted sweet potato salad calls for 4 cups of cubed sweet potatoes. Depending on the size, that’s about four to six whole sweet potatoes.
• To make this sweet potato potato salad gluten-free, check that all your packaged goods are certified gluten-free. I like to double-check the ingredients list too, as well as the facility’s allergen warnings that are listed directly below the ingredients.
• To make this recipe vegan, swap the honey for maple syrup or agave, and swap the mayonnaise for vegan mayonnaise, vegan sour cream or plain vegan yogurt.
• Components of the salad can be made ahead of time, but avoid tossing everything together till you’re ready to serve. Roast the sweet potatoes the day before. Let them come to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Mix up the ingredients for the dressing, and store them in a mason jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Toast and chop up the nuts the night before, and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.