Red and Sweet Potato Salad

We were having some family over recently to help with a house project, and I planned on cooking out for them.  It was a busy weekend, so I wanted to make sides that would be easy and make a lot of food.  Potato salad always seems to go over well, but the traditional, mayonnaise laden variety wasn’t appealing to me very much.  We love sweet potatoes, so I set out to find a healthier recipe that used them.  I found this one for Red and Sweet Potato Salad and it got great reviews.  And bonus, I had some red potatoes to use up, so it was perfect.

I followed the recipe pretty much as it was written, except I added a little cilantro and substituted skim milk, and it turned out great.  I thought it was delicious and so did our guests – they raved about it.  The flavors are well-balanced; it doesn’t taste too much like one specific thing in the recipe.  Putting the vinegar on the warm potatoes is a must because they soak it up and get all tangy.  One thing I would recommend is starting this a few hours before you will need to serve it.  It takes a while for the potatoes to cool down, even in the fridge, so I ended up hurrying mine along by putting them in the freezer.  Next time, I’ll just make it earlier.

Red and Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (I used grainy mustard)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1/2 – 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (more or less to taste)
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro (more or less to taste)

Directions:

Place the red potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 8-10 minutes longer or until potatoes are fork-tender.  Do not overcook.

In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Drain the potatoes then add them to the vinegar mixture and stir gently to coat. Place in refrigerator to cool.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and milk. Stir in the celery, onion, parsley, and cilantro. Gently stir into cooled potato mixture. Serve immediately or cover and chill.