Chilled sweet potato salad with spicy peanut dressing

Sandra, May 2007

Dressing:
1/4 c rice vinegar
1/4 c dark soy sauce
2 egg yolks
1 heaping T fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T peanut butter
1/2 T Sambal Oolek hot pepper puree
1 T brown sugar
2 T toasted sesame oil

Salad:
2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 c sugar snap peas, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 c green onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 c spicy peanut dressing (above recipe)
1/3 c dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

For the dressing:
In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients except sesame oil.
While continuing to whisk, slowly add the sesame oil to emulsify.
Blend well and set aside. Makes about 1 cup.

For the salad:
In a large saucepot, add sweet potatoes and cover with cold water.
Add large pinch of salt. Bring to boil and cook until just tender (recipe
says approx. 5-7 minutes-- but I suspect longer is needed in Colorado).
Drain and cool.

In large mixing bowl, add potatoes, peas, onions, and mix. Season with
salt and pepper and dressing; taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and
refrigerate up to 4 hours. Prior to serving, sprinkle salad with chopped peanuts.
Serves 6-8.

Note: It kept okay and I ate leftovers for lunch, but the green onions got
too strong with storage. I would consider leaving them out next time, or
just sprinkling them on with the peanuts rather than mixing them in.