Brighten your winter table with this delicious and nutritious Sweet Potato Cruda

Sweet Potato Cruda

Serves 4​

Thin slices of raw sweet potato soaked briefly in cool water, then bathed in a bright, sweet-sour dressing of honey, fish sauce, and lime. The result is a starter that snaps lightly with clean, sweet, and deep umami—waking up your winter palate. Choose small, blemish-free tubers for this preparation; Japanese Murasaki, Hannah/Jersey types, or Garnet and Jewel all work beautifully, each bringing a different hue to the plate. Unlike true potatoes, sweet potatoes don't contain solanine, so they’re great to enjoy raw, especially when sliced thinly and soaked briefly to remove some of the starch for a toothsome bite.​

You’ll need

Mandoline or very sharp knife

Large bowl

Small whisk

Ingredients

For the salad

2 small sweet potatoes (1 to 2 inches in diameter and about 3 to 5 inches long), peeled

2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey

2 tablespoons (30 ml) cane, rice, or maple syrup (or use additional honey)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fish sauce (or substitute Yondu Organic sauce, a vegetable-based umami builder)

Zest of 1 lime

1½ tablespoons (22 ml) fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

20 small mint leaves

For serving

¼ cup (30 g) peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Extra mint leaves, mint flowers, and young sweet potato leaves (if available), for garnish

Method

1. Prepare the sweet potatoes

Scrub the sweet potatoes and trim away any imperfections. Using a mandoline slicer, shave the sweet potatoes into rounds as thin as you can manage, cutting them directly over a large bowl of cool water. Swish the slices gently with your hands to separate clinging slices and release excess starch, then let them soak for about 30 minutes.​

2. Mix the dressing

In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, cane (or rice or maple) syrup, fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, and salt until the mixture combined.​

3. Dress the salad

Drain the sweet potato slices well and pat them dry with a clean towel. Add the slices to the bowl with the dressing and toss gently to coat every piece. Let the potatoes marinate in the dressing for about 5 minutes so they soften slightly and take on flavor.​

4. Serve

Arrange the sweet potato slices slightly overlapping edges (shingled) on a platter or individual plates and drizzle any remaining dressing over the top. Sprinkle with the toasted peanuts and scatter the mint leaves, mint flowers, and young sweet potato leaves (if using) over the salad just before serving.​