Yam potato salad is one cool update on classic potato. Bring it all together with Greek yogurt, mustard and dill pickle juice. Green olives, sweet red peppers, green onions and and celery add crunch to the creamy yams.
Delicious, nutritious yam salad as an update to starchy white potato salad. Why have I never been sitting at a picnic where several dishes of spud salad are present, with my foodie-brain at work, and had this epiphany? Yam potato salad makes perfect sense!
Let me tell you about a few other hipster changes to this pot-luck and picnic standby. Baking the yam chunks beforehand adds a delicious taste of caramelized smoke. And the olives with pimento are having a love affair with the crunchy but let’s be honest-boring celery, because this is a blissful combination. My mom started adding green olives in her potato salad long ago and now my family just expects them. Try it, you won’t be sorry. I remember when she also started adding green olives to spaghetti sauce and I thought she had lost it, but turns out she was just showing her genius in disguise! Also, use a good quality Greek yogurt in the yam salad. It’s just the right thing to do here. I happen to love The Greek Gods Yogurt.
I’m telling you, you may never make regular potato salad again! And if you’re wondering… in the photo, I served grilled turkey burgers, Paleo style, topped with Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread. This colorful medley was a hearty meal, but the yam salad could easily stand alone for a meatless main dish any time of year.
Yam Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 medium yams, washed and cut into 1" cubes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup celery hearts including leaves, chopped
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup Spanish green olives with pimentos, sliced
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, nice and thick - The Greek Gods is a good one
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried dill seed or weed, or use 2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dill pickle juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place yam cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat then liberally sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Spread in single layer on baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a plate.
- Place in refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
- While yams are cooling, whisk together yogurt, mustard, dill, garlic, and pickle juice in a large bowl.
- Fold in celery, green onions, red pepper and green olives.
- Gently fold in chilled yams and return to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Taste to determine if more salt and pepper needs to be added before serving.
Cook's Note:
- This great salad may be prepared the day before serving with excellent results.
Recipe adapted from Eighty Twenty.
Whoa, I’m excited to try this one!
This was delicious! I served it with grilled chicken, but it would be good with anything. Thanks for sharing Sally!
It was a hit!! So fresh and delicious! Adding it to the dinner rotation!
So many times I think, I have probably made almost every recipe GDM has ever posted. Then I see another one that I have never seen before. This was incredible and even better the next day.
Thanks so much, Kathryn! This made my day.
You are truly an inspiration. I love your recipes and have been following your blog for years. And this salad looks fresh, colorful and super yummy!!
Very tasty! I added 3 hard boiled eggs and didn’t add red peppers. Probably the best potato salad Ive ever made and the kids enjoyed it too with their nuggets. Thanks for sharing Sally, this will be a regular with our BBQ’s for sure.
This is probably the best potato salad recipe I’ve ever found. I made it just as it is written and it was perfect – plenty of dressing with tons of flavor. I brought it to a family outing and it got rave reviews. Thanks Sally!
This is what I’m talking about! What a delicious potato salad! Loved the green olives in it just how my family use to make it.