Roasted Sweet Potato Salad + Recipe

I had a salad like this last week from the café at work and loved it!  I tried to recreate it at home tonight, it's a simplified version with fewer ingredients than the original.  The hardest part was cutting up three pounds of sweet potatoes, but now we have plenty of leftovers!

This is the basic recipe, you can increase ingredients, add new ones or take away according to your taste preference. The original was very spicy, my version is not very spicy (my eyes water when I eat medium-hot salsa!) at all.  I enjoyed it warm for dinner, it should be just as delicious served hot or cold!


Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients (all approximate):
3 pounds sweet potatoes (I used a bag of baby sweet potatoes, but regular size sweet potatoes would also work)
1 15 ounce can of corn, drained
1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons apple cider
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Tajín*, optional

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Cut sweet potatoes into small cubes and place on an aluminum covered baking sheet.  Drizzle lightly with canola oil, salt and pepper, mix with hands until potatoes are lightly coated.  Cook potatoes for approximately 13 minutes, or until you can pierce them with a fork (don't roast them until they are mushy).  While the potatoes cook, combine the canned corn and beans in a bowl and chop the parsley.  Allow the potatoes to cool slightly before adding to corn-bean mixture.  Mix a light dressing with apple cider, canola oil, cayenne pepper and ginger.  Drizzle dressing over the potato mixture, add parsley and stir.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  If desired, lightly sprinkle Tajín on salad before serving.  

*Tajín is a blend of chile peppers, lime and salt - it's delicious on fresh fruit and vegetables, soup and quesadillas - I even like it on buttered toast!  We have found Tajín at La Michoacana Mexican Market and Saraga International Grocery stores here in Columbus, my mother in law as seen it in the International aisle at Meijer.  You can also order it online - try it!