Two distinct but nearly simultaneous occurrences led to the creation of this recipe.
On the same evening that I converted a serving of tandoori chicken (leftover from our favorite local Indian restaurant) into curried chicken salad, my mom brought up a recipe for curried potato salad during a phone conversation. I had finished putting together the chicken salad – comprised of the previously mentioned chicken plus Greek yogurt, curry powder, mango chutney, raisins, and toasted cashews – and decided to catch up with my mom while the flavors melded together in the fridge.
At some point during almost all of our phone chats, either my mom or I bring up a recent dish we’ve made, restaurant we’ve been to, or recipe we’d like to make. I mentioned the chicken salad I had just put together, and my mom told me about a curried mango dressing for potato salad that immediately piqued my interest. I took the idea of curried potato salad and ran with it.
The recipe I came up with calls for a dressing very similar to the one I concocted for the curried chicken salad. Sweet potatoes sounded like an appealing main ingredient to pair with the slightly sweet & gently spiced yogurt dressing, and I tossed in plump raisins and fresh green onions to bring it all together. After photographing and digging in to the salad, I decided a bit of crunch would be a welcomed addition. I added some toasted cashews, which acted as a nice counterbalance to the chewy raisins and tender potatoes.
As is true with most potato salads, this Curried Sweet Potato Salad tastes best after having sat in the refrigerator for a while. Letting the salad mellow in the fridge allows the still warm potatoes to soak up all of the delicious flavors of the mango chutney yogurt dressing.
Curried Sweet Potato Salad
yields 2-4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 lb sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), preferably organic, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp mango chutney
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt, to taste
- toasted cashews, optional
Directions:
- Place cubed potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 10-15 minutes. Drain cooked potatoes.
- While potatoes are draining, stir together the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, add them to the dressing ingredients and stir gently to evenly coat the potatoes.
- Chill in the refrigerator (preferably overnight) to allow flavors to meld.
