Commack: Instead of making a traditional potato salad, why not make it eye-healthier using dark fleshed sweet potatoes and red bell peppers, high in antioxidants Vitamins A and C. And instead of a mayonnaise dressing (that you have to worry about in the heat), we’re using an olive oil-based vinaigrette, high in omega-3 fatty acids which are also important to eye health.
What you’ll need to serve 6-8:
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- Olive oil for grilling
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced diagonally
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
For the vinaigrette:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
What you’ll do:
- Par-cook the potatoes by placing potatoes in a large saucepan and covering with salted cold water by 1 inch and simmer, covered, until just tender, about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of potatoes. In a colander, drain potatoes and rinse under cold water to cool. Peel potatoes with a sharp knife and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices. Brush with extra olive oil.
- While potatoes are boiling, prepare grill. Place oiled potato slices on grill. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, chop into bite-size chunks, and place in a large bowl.
- Add the green onions, red bell pepper, and jalapeno to the bowl.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegars, mustard, honey, and cumin. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add ¾ of the dressing and the cilantro and toss gently. The salad should be moist but not runny. If it seems dry, add remaining dressing and gently toss again.
Thoughts and variations: You can also grill the green onions, red bell peppers, and jalapenos before they are sliced/diced (lightly oil them before they go on the grill); if you don’t want to grill, just prepare the potatoes by simmering them either whole or peeled and cut into chunks, until just tender. If you are not a cilantro lover, Italian parsley can be substituted as the fresh herb.
Recipe source, Discovery Eye Foundation
