This beautiful sweet potato salad is flavoured with harissa and medjool dates. It’s the perfect salad to make use of in-season sweet potato during autumn and winter.
Looking for more sweet potato recipes? Or quinoa salads?
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (200°C fan-forced).
Place sweet potato in a large bowl. Add garlic powder, harissa powder, sugar, smoked paprika and oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place on a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper; spread evenly. Roast for 25 minutes, turning occasionally. Add dates, toss well and roast for a further 3-5 minutes, or until sweet potato and dates are golden and caramelised.
Meanwhile, cook rice in small saucepan of boiling water for 25 minutes or until tender, drain, and rinse well. Place quinoa in a small saucepan with the measured water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until tender and most of the water has evaporated. Drain.
DRESSING Combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar. Season and shake well to combine.
Combine rice, quinoa, chickpeas and half the herbs on a serving platter, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange sweet potato and dates and toss gently. Nestle in orange slices and drizzle over the Dressing. Top sweet potato salad with remaining herbs.
Buying and storing sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes should be undamaged, firm, evenly coloured and heavy for their size.
Keep sweet potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated spot (never in a plastic bag) where they’ll keep for up to a few weeks. When you’re ready to cook, simply scrub gently or peel.
What is harissa?
Harissa is a Moroccan paste made from dried chillies, cumin, garlic, oil and caraway seeds. It is available from Middle Eastern food shops and supermarkets. You can also find it in powder form, like we’ve used in this sweet potato salad recipe.
