Saturday, May 2, 2009

Emeril at the Grill - Grilled Sweet Potato Salad

We grilled up some brats the other night & decided to try one of the sides from Emeril at the Grill: A Cookbook for All Seasons.
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad
We love sweet potatoes so this grilled sweet potato salad jumped out at us right away. I was a little surprised that the potatoes had to be grilled & cooked in the oven but they did end up having the perfect texture. I figured if I wanted to make this on a hot day I could do the potatoes in the morning since they get served at room temp anyway. This is good because this is certainly the kind of salad I'd want on a hot day even if I didn't want to heat up the kitchen.
The flavors of this dish were really wonderful, the sweet potato, tart lime juice, crisp onion & salty cheese create a wonderful blend. Speaking of the cheese, we couldn't find the Cotija or farmer's cheese called for in the recipe. The cheese expert at our local grocery store suggested a ricotta salata because it was mild & crumbly. It's also quite salty but in our opinion that only added more to the dish.

My only complaint about the dish (& its a little one) was the olive oil & lime juice drizzled on at the end seemed like much more than needed. I would suggest whisking them together & them just drizzling as much as you want on each serving.

Grilled Sweet Potato Salad
(adapted from Emeril at the Grill for serving size)

1 large sweet potato (between 3/4 & 1 lb), peeled & cut into 1/2-inch rounds
3 1/2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
3/4 T lime juice
3/4 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 T Cotija cheese, crumbled (or other mild crumbly cheese)

Preheat grill to medium-high & preheat oven to 350 F.

Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 T olive oil, salt & pepper & toss to coat. Place the potatoes on the preheated grill. Grill on each side 2 - 3 minutes until you get grill marks.

Put the grilled potatoes on a baking sheet & into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until fork tender. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Place on a serving dish or divide between separate plates. Drizzle with remaining olive oil & lime juice. Sprinkle the cilantro, onions & cheese over the top.

2 servings

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© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

13 comments:

  1. I assume the potatoes wouldn't cook completely if they were on the grill the whole time? I guess unless they were sliced thinner. Maybe the grill is only for the grill flavor and grill marks. Regardless, it is a beautiful and healthy side dish!

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  2. Delish. Never heard of Cotija cheese, but Im sure feta would work well? Might have to get the BBQ out

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  3. To Beth, you can use farmer's cheese or queso blanco instead of Cotija. Any mild, white cheese can be substituted. Feta would be delicious..mmm..crumbled on top...yeah!

    Kat, I love sweet potatoes, too. This sounds like a very good idea to go with dinner.

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  4. love love love sweet potatoes on the grill - I could eat this type of salad daily

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  5. Mmmm, my love for sweet potato is large and in charge. I love it so much I put it in almost everything. I must must must try this.
    Emeril is the man.

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  6. I've never grilled sweet potatoes before! What a good idea!

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  7. deeeelicious! there's something so pleasing to me about grill marks (and the flavor they supply). for a second, i was startled to read that you grilled brats, and then i realized what you meant. really, just a second. :)

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  8. I'd never thought to grill sweet potatoes. What a great idea! The flavors in this are so different for me, but I bet they work so well together. It looks so great!

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  9. In the past when I have grilled potatoes I have par cooked them in the microwave just to the point when fork went in with out too much force. I then sliced them into thick rounds and finished cooking them on the grill. I really like this method as that it allows me to grill potatoes and does not require me to turn on my oven during the hot summer months.

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  10. This sounds amazing Kat. I just love sweet potatoes. This is one of those got to try real soon recipes~!

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  11. I like sweet potato, never grill them before. You just inspire me. Thank you.
    Your salad look mouth watering.

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  12. This is one I have on my list of must-makes. I'll have to remember about the olive oil and lime juice.

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  13. This looks wonderful! I love all of the fresh summer flavors.

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