Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad with Orange and Radish
A confession: Every Thanksgiving I cringe (I hope not enough for others at the table to notice) when the inevitable dish of marshmallow-topped or otherwise candied sweet potatoes appears. Sweet potatoes possess such an individual, earthy sweetness of their own, I can’t help but wonder why cooks push it into overdrive? Here is a recipe that gives Thanksgiving sweet potatoes a slight spin, keeping the sweetness in check with savory and piquant complements: black beans and radishes in a salad.
2½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/2 by 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 large radishes, thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium navel oranges, either sectioned and cut crosswise or cut into supremes (see Kitchen Aide)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fill a Dutch oven with about 2 inches of water, set a steamer basket in the pot, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add sweet potatoes, and cook, covered, until just tender, about 8 minutes. Immediately arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, and let cool, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large nonreactive bowl, mix remaining lime juice, vinegar, marmalade, garlic, thyme, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk in oil.
With a flexible spatula, scrape the potatoes into the bowl with the dressing. Add radishes, beans, oranges, scallions, and most of the cilantro and mix gently to combine. Taste salad and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro, and serve at room temperature.
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