WHAT’S COOKING: Two good reasons why Braai Day can be a Salad Day too

I have a love-hate relationship with sweet potatoes – I love orange sweet potatoes, and dislike the pink variety.

I often wonder what to call the orange varieties (there are several), and for some time called them “kara” potatoes, though this is apparently an in-house brand monicker at Woolworths.

Some swift investigation reveals that orange sweet potatoes are also known as Beauregard, Garnet and Jewel potatoes.

Pink sweet potatoes, by contrast, must answer to the much less enticing names of Boniata or Batata potatoes.

In America, they’re called “yams”, which surely is one of the ugliest little words in the English language.

For me, there is no contest between orange and pink. I’m an orange sweet potato fan all the way. 

So, casting around for ideas for a different kind of potato salad, I spotted some orange sweet potatoes and turned three of them into a sweet potato salad.

To ensure it would be a lively salad with more surprises for the palate, I added some dried cling peaches, diced very small, feta, and spring onions. 

Tony’s orange sweet potato salad with cling peaches and feta

(Serves 6-8 as a side dish)

Ingredients

3 orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-cm dice

100 g dried cling peaches, diced small

6 spring onions, sliced thinly

1 round of feta, diced

2 Tbsp torn basil leaves, and a sprig of basil for garnish

For the dressing:

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Maille honey mustard

1 tsp pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)

1 heaped Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

Salt and black pepper

Method

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and plunge the diced potato in. Boil at a moderate simmer (not too violent) for about 10 minutes, drain in a colander, and run cold water through. Leave to drain.

Dice the dried cling peaches and slice the spring onions thinly.

Dice or crumble the feta.

Chop the fresh oregano and mix all the dressing ingredients in a large salad bowl.

Tip the drained sweet potato dice into the bowl.

Add the feta, spring onion and diced cling peaches.

Toss gently with two wooden spoons or silicone spatulas. 

Tear the basil leaves and scatter over. Finish with a jaunty sprig of fresh basil.

Tony’s couscous salad with baby fennel, spinach and black beans

The next evening, I made a very different salad. This was a couscous salad with baby fennel, freshly picked young garden spinach, and black beans.

Try to source the kind of couscous that comes in sachets which are plunged into boiling water for a minute and drained, and are then ready for use. The brand I used was Bia – the method works perfectly.

This salad has a lime vinaigrette, as well as red onion and, like the other salad, feta. It’s finished with a scattering of roasted, salted peanuts.

(Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish)

Ingredients

For the lime vinaigrette:

Juice of 1 lime

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1 Tbsp raw honey

1 tsp Hot English mustard

Salt and black pepper to taste

For the couscous salad:

1 sachet of couscous, prepared according to the package instructions

6 to 8 fresh young spinach leaves, shredded

3 baby fennel bulbs, rinsed, dried and sliced very thinly

1 x 400g can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium red onion, cut in half and then sliced very thinly

1 round or square of feta, diced or crumbled

Salt and black pepper to taste

A small handful of roasted, salted peanuts

Method

Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions and have it standing by, drained.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jug and let it macerate while you prepare the salad.

Pick the younger spinach leaves if you grow it, or use shop-bought young spinach (not baby). Shred it with a sharp knife and put it in a salad bowl.

Slice the baby fennel and add.

Drain the can of black beans in a colander (or sieve if you only have one colander), run cold water through, and drain. Add the beans to the bowl.

Slice the red onion and add, separating the sections of allium.

Crumble or dice the feta over the other ingredients.

Add all the couscous, and gently toss the contents of the bowl using two wooden spoons or silicone spatulas.

Pour the dressing over and toss again.

Scatter the peanuts over and your salad is ready. DM

To buy a copy of Tony Jackman’s Retro Karoo Food (Penguin Random House) signed by the author in gold, send an email to him at tony@dailymaverick.co.za. Or buy it through the Daily Maverick shop.

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.