Sweet potato salad
This salad lives on contrast: soft caramelised sweet potato and crunchy chickpeas roasted on a single tray. A lemony tahini dressing balances the sweetness and ties it together — and the best trick is adding water when the dressing seizes.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Chopping 10 min
- Roasting 30 min
- Tahini dressing 5 min
- Assembling 5 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneCut the sweet potatoes evenly
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 2.5 cm cubes. Even size matters more than shape — smaller pieces burn before bigger ones soften.
Ingredients: 800 g sweet potatoes · 400 g chickpeas · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp smoked paprika · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
2.5 cm cubes roast through in 30 minutes.Dry the chickpeas
Drain the chickpeas and dry them thoroughly in a towel, rolling them around. Dry chickpeas roast, wet ones steam — that is what decides between crunchy and rubbery.
Ingredients: 800 g sweet potatoes · 400 g chickpeas · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp smoked paprika · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
TipPick out and discard loose skins — they burn faster than the rest.
Roast on one tray
Toss the sweet potato and chickpeas with oil and spices, spread on a tray in a single layer and roast at 210°C for 30 minutes, stirring after 20. The edges should be deep brown.
Ingredients: 800 g sweet potatoes · 400 g chickpeas · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp smoked paprika · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 tsp salt
TipCrowded vegetables steam instead of roasting. If the tray is too small, use two.
A single layer with space between pieces — otherwise no caramel.Make the tahini dressing
Mix the tahini with lemon juice, crushed garlic and salt — it will seize into a thick paste and that is normal. Add ice water a spoonful at a time, whisking hard, until the sauce turns silky and pourable.
Ingredients: 4 tbsp tahini · 1 pcs lemon · 1 clove garlic · 60 ml water · ½ tsp salt
TipDo not panic when it seizes — tahini always goes through that stage before it loosens.
From thick paste to silky sauce — just water and patience.Assemble the salad
Spread the baby spinach on a platter and pile on the hot sweet potato and chickpeas — the leaves wilt slightly and that is good. Drizzle with tahini dressing and scatter pumpkin seeds and coriander.
Ingredients: 100 g baby spinach · 40 g pumpkin seeds · ½ bunch coriander
Before you start
No blender needed
The tahini dressing needs no equipment — a whisk and a bowl are plenty.
Warm or cold
The salad is good cold the next day too. The chickpeas soften but the flavours deepen.
More protein
Add 200 g of crumbled feta or grilled chicken — the tahini dressing suits both.
