Warm Sweet Potato Salad ♥

I like this dressing! It's made from dried New Mexico chiles (or something called guajillo chiles which I've never seen before), which impart depth and smokiness, not heat. And by itself, it made up in just 10 minutes, a quick and easy job. It would be a great alternate dressing for last year's Warm Root Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette.

NEXT TIME Since the sweet potatoes take much longer to skillet sauté, I've re-arranged the recipe to shorten your time requirements. But another time, I'd be tempted then roast or steam the sweet potatoes, then toss lightly in some dressing -- or maybe grill slices of sweet potato brushed with the dressing. Did I mention I really like this dressing?!

NUTRITION Cooking the potatoes this way took a whole lot more oil than I'm comfortable with -- and the nutrition analysis (see below) definitely shows this. After cooking and then eating, my skin even felt oily. As much as I like the dressing, I'd like it more if less were used. Still, this was a very satisfying vegetarian main dish salad.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Sweet potatoes are quite a favorite so I'm surprised to find relatively few sweet potato recipes in the Recipe Box. Time to fix that!

TWO YEARS AGO Hurricane Rice ... in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the much-missed Paper Chef inspired many of us to cook with New Orleans-inspired ingredients

WARM SWEET POTATO SALAD

Hands-on time: 35 minutes (plus occasional attention for the duration)
Time to table: 50 minutes
Makes 8 side dishes, 4 main dish servings

SWEET POTATOES (if pan sautéing)
1 tablespoon oil (I used corn)
1 red onion, diced (I skipped this and used 1 dozen green onions, cut on the diagonal)
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
Watercress (I skipped this)
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet on MEDIUM. Add the onion and sweet potato as they're prepped, stirring to coat with oil. Let cook, stirring often, letting brown a bit. When dressing is ready, add a tablespoon at a time to speed cooking and flavor the sweet potatoes. I used about 1/3 of the dressing. Season to taste with salt.

DRESSING
3/4 cup oil (I used corn)
2 medium dried New Mexico chilies (or guiajillo chiles), stemmed and seeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup vinegar (I used balsamic which Rick Bayless says adds sweetness, he prefers sherry vinegar for richness, or champagne or white wine vinegar for lightness)
Salt to taste

In a large skillet, warm the oil on MEDIUM. Add the peppers and garlic and let warm for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender. Add remaining ingredients and whizz til smooth. [RICK BAYLESS' ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the peppers and garlic after letting warm together for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender and finish the dressing. The skillet will still have some oil in it, use this to start cooking the onion and potatoes.]

ASSEMBLY
Salad Greens
Dressing
Sweet Potato Salad

Dress greens with a tablespoon of dressing per serving. Top with sweet potatoes. Serve while still warm.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With 4 servings - Per Serving: 466 Cal (58% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 39% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 31 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 7 g Mono Fat; 46 g Carb; 6 g Fiber; NetCarb40; 16 g Sugar; 75 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 63 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 11 points

With 8 servings - Per Serving: 233 Cal (58% from Fat, 3% from Protein, 39% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 16 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 23 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 8 g Sugar; 38 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 31 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 5 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

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