Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

By
Syrie Wongkaew
Syrie Wongkaew
Sydney-based food writer, editor, photographer, and food stylist with a focus on Australian and Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 06/22/21
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
B*2/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
427 Calories
32g Fat
32g Carbs
10g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 427
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 5g 27%
Cholesterol 17mg 6%
Sodium 568mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 11%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 24mg 119%
Calcium 160mg 12%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 851mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

In New Zealand, sweet potato is also known by its Maori name, kumara. In this recipe, sweet potatoes are roasted and served with a crisp romaine lettuce salad.

You can use any kind of nuts in this salad. For instance, macadamias, almonds, or pistachios all add some protein to the meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 large kumara or sweet potato, peeled and diced into cubes

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, for drizzling on kumara to roast

  • Pinch salt

For the Salad:

  • 6 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped

  • 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 4 radishes, sliced

  • Handful crumbled feta cheese

  • Handful pine nuts

  • Dash extra-virgin olive oil, for salad

  • Dash balsamic vinegar, for salad

  • Sea salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

Roast the Sweet Potato

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Heat the oven to 350 F.

  3. Place the sweet potato in a baking dish and drizzle with nonpremium olive oil. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt. Roast for 25 minutes or until soft. Set aside to cool when done.

Make the Salad

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Arrange lettuce, tomatoes, and radishes in a serving bowl. Add the cooled cubes of roasted sweet potato. Sprinkle on some feta cheese and pine nuts.

  3. Finally, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Lemon juice also works well. Adjust the seasonings with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

More About New Zealand Sweet Potatoes

There are four main varieties of tropical sweet potato, known as kumara, grown in New Zealand— the orange (Beauregard), red (Owairaka), gold (Toka Toka), and Purple Dawn, although new varieties are being introduced all the time.

The most popular of these is the Owairaka red, with its distinctive red skin and creamy white, firm-textured flesh, as opposed to the red flesh of American varieties. It is a direct descendant of the American sweet potato and is believed to have been introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s by American whaling ships. However, archaeological diggings in New Zealand that have revealed kumara cultivation from very early pre-European Maori times beg to differ.

New Zealanders enjoy kumara in traditional ways—baked, mashed, and deep-fried—but also stuffed with cheese, baked in a gratin that is layered with sliced onion, garlic, and heavy cream, or in curries or soups. It also is popular in a dish called hangi, which is a combination of meat and vegetables slow-cooked all day in an underground oven.