I’m a potato lover. After my trip to Idaho last fall, I went from being a Russet girl (though I still love my Russets!) to being a Klondike Goldust devotee. I cannot get enough of their beautiful color and creamy flesh (and thin skin that I don’t have to peel!). And then there are my beloved purple sweet potatoes…so what’s a potato lovin’ girl to do? Why, make potato salad of course! My two favorite spuds marry beautifully in this potato salad.
The salad is made with a lemon juice, olive oil, and rice wine vinegar dressing that you pour over the potatoes while they’re still hot, and then you put it into the refrigerator to chill for about an hour, so that the potatoes soak in all of the flavorful goodness from the dressing (much like making a German potato salad).
At this point I like to pull it out and serve it, because I find that the flavors are perfect. You can let it chill for longer and it will still be delicious, but the purple potatoes will start to bleed into the dressing ever so slightly.
Not only is this salad delicious, but it packs a nutritional punch. One serving of Klondike Goldust potatoes (5.3 ounces) provides 45% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C and 6% of your daily requirement of iron! Purple sweet potatoes are unusually high in antioxidants, such as the ones found in blueberries, and they have a low glycemic index. Talk about tuberrific!
Golden Purple Potato Salad is a vibrant potato salad sporting gold and purple hues (surprise, surprise!) from Klondike Goldust potatoes and purple sweet potatoes. It’s dressed with a tangy dressing made with lemon juice, olive oil, and rice wine vinegar, plus lots of fresh herbs and spices. It’s the perfect salad for Mardi Gras because of its colors, or for your Super Bowl party, considering the Super Bowl is in New Orleans this year! It’s also perfect “just because” . . . because it’s delicious!
Golden Purple Potato Salad
Makes approximately 6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 pounds Klondike Goldust potatoes (or other yellow-fleshed potatoes), scrubbed but not peeled
1 1/2 pounds purple sweet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
9 green onions, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Put the pieces in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Cook the potatoes over medium heat until soft, then drain the water and place the potatoes in a medium bowl.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes and cook them the same way you cooked the potatoes in step 1. Put the cooked sweet potato pieces into the bowl with the potatoes.
3. Add the mint, basil, and green onions to the potatoes and mix well, being careful not to crush the potatoes.
4. Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together in a small bowl, then stir in the red chili pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt. Pour the dressing over the potatoes. Cover the salad with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.
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Will you make this for our dinner on Sunday? Also, please bring me 3-4 pounds of raw purple sweet potatoes. Thank you. <3
@Fuji Nana — LOL, of course! :)
I have never heard of any of these two potatoes. Would the purple sweet potato be in Texas? Is the season for them?
Last question…I swear…can we do this just with regular sweet potatoes?
@Kristi — The Klondike Goldust potatoes are just a type of yellow fleshed/thin skinned potato, like yukon gold potatoes.
Purple sweet potatoes are new to the U.S., at least to the commercial markets, and are only being distributed by Frieda’s Specialty Produce. This particular variety is called Stokes and is grown in California. I’m not sure what their season is, but I do know they’re in season right now! If you want to try and find some near you, Stokes foods has a resource to use: http://www.stokesfoods.com/grocery.htm
And yes, you can make this salad with orange or yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes! I personally would go with the orange ones, just so you have some contrast in color.
I love love love these 2 types of potatoes. I used one similar to the Klondike to make a potato chicken stew. Best thing is no peeling and it does not crumble into the soup line a Russet does. And the purple potato makes for very pretty presentation. I made something with white, orange and purple sweet potatoes once. So pretty and the textural and taste difference made it very interesting.
A nice marriage. I love purple sweet potatoes and the color combination makes for nice taste and a fun looking dish (especially if you are a Los Angeles Laker fan).
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