winter potato salad

I've never really been that great of a cook. Sure, I can follow a recipe well enough, but when it comes to being creative and inventive in the kitchen, well, that has never been my strong suit. This past year, though, I've really started reading a lot about cooking and experimenting a bit more here and there, and I feel like I've come a really long way (I think my husband would agree! You should see the stuff I used to make!). When I found out that my favorite food blog, My New Roots, was holding a contest to find a completely original recipe to feature on her blog, I thought it would be a good opportunity to put myself to the test. The recipe had to use healthy, seasonal and interesting ingredients, and, while I didn't win (you can see who did win here), I was really pleased with my first recipe.

With all the holiday parties this month, I wanted to create a potluck dish that I could take with me to share with friends. Also, I think I'm starting to get cabin fever because I somehow chose to winterize a summer time dish! This is my take on the classic potato salad using all in season, winter ingredients.

Winter Potato Salad

Dressing:

1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

5 cups of cubed sweet potatoes*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of broccoli, cut into tiny florets

1 cup of cauliflower, cut into tiny florets

1/4 cup of diced red onion

1/2 cup of diced parsnip

1 (2 1/4 ounce) can of sliced black olives, drained

Directions:

Prepare dressing by combining the four ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

Place diced potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Add potatoes to dressing while they are still hot, tossing gently to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop all the other vegetables and add to potatoes once they are cooled. Toss well.

Cover and chill.

Enjoy!

*Use dark skinned sweet potatoes to get the pretty orange color. I used pale skinned ones and was disappointed. It should have been much prettier!