There are many ways to take old favourites and make them better for your needs today. Growing up, potato salad was something we only had in the summer. And I’m not talking about the one from KFC or any other store-bought version.
The potato salad of my childhood memories was made from scratch, usually for a big family get-together. I still remember the big yellow glass bowl my mother used for it. I’d see it on the table and get excited, knowing potato salad was happening.
Over the years new ingredients were added like roasted red peppers and dill. Then making my own mayonnaise became the only way to do potato salad right.
Today, the addition of the sweet potato is to help quell the nervousness that some might have for eating a white potato. It’s kind of scary that such an amazing food like the white potato can end up in the doghouse because of a total lack of understanding about all the benefits it contains. It’s a source of many vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytonutrients.
But what brings the white potato back into spotlight now is the amount of resistant starch (RA) it contains. RA is a substantial prebiotic. And the amount available for gut bacteria goes up when the potato is cooled. This makes potato salad a perfect version to increase the prebiotic benefit.
Sweet potatoes also contain resistant starch but not nearly as much and they don’t necessarily feed the same bacteria strains. This why it is a good idea to combine.
I’ve added more vegetables to this version and created a new mayo with avocado. It’s all adds up to a lot of ingredients that help the gut.
Serves 2-4
2 cups Yukon Gold or white potatoes, cut into cubes (do not peel but wash if needed)
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1-2 roasted red peppers, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped in small pieces
1 carrot, grated
2 tbsp red onion, chopped
3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
6 cups baby green, romaine lettuce and baby greens
Avocado Mayo:
1 avocado
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
2-3 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp raw honey
1/4 cup olive oil (or oil of choice)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
To Make The Salad:
- Place the sweet potatoes in a colander. Fill a pot with 2 inches of hot water and rest the colander in the pot. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and steam until the potatoes are soft (about 10-14 minutes). Let cool.
- In the meantime, make the mayo. Peel and pit the avocado. Put the avocado, lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil in a mini-blender until smooth.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Put in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add more yogurt to thin the mixture. Use a whisk to make the mixture smooth. If the mixture is still too thick, you can add more yogurt or add water, if you have the flavour where you want it to be, and do not wish to add more yogurt. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- The dressing can also be made but putting all the ingredients into a small blender and blending.
- To make the salad, place the potatoes into a bowl and add the celery, red peppers, green onion and dill. Add some of the dressing and mix. If more dressing is needed, add more dressing.
- Season again with sea salt and pepper, if needed. Place on a plate with lettuce leaves and baby greens just before serving and toss.
- Can be served a room temperature or chilled. Excess dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Tip 1: Feel free to adjust the amount of lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar or honey to suit your taste.
Tip 2: This recipe can be made with just white potatoes, using the same method or just sweet potatoes.
Tip 3: Feel free to add other vegetables as you see fit. They don’t have to be raw. You can cooked them first and cool before adding to the salad. This is about what you choose to do.
To roast a red pepper: Cut the red pepper in half and remove the seeds. Flatten the two pieces of red pepper and place on a tray. Put the tray under the broiler and blacken the skin. Let cool and peel off the skin. Use as directed in the recipe.
Leave A Comment