Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad

Cut the potatoes into large chunks and place them in a large pot of generously salted water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium/high so that the pot retains a steady boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20–25 minutes. Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Place eggs in a medium pot and cover with about 1 inch of water. Bring to steady boil. Then turn off the heat (leaving the pot on the hot burner) and cover the pot. Let it stand for 10–12 minutes then immediately drain and cover with cold water. Let the eggs stand until cool enough to peel.

Heat oven to 375ºF and bake the pistachios until golden brown and nutty-smelling, about 10–12 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.

For the dressing, drain the water from the soaking cashews and place them into a high-powered blender. Add in all the remaining dressing ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. I find it’s easiest to slowly increase the speed of the blender, so that the cashew get chopped up a little before you try to puree them.

Peel the skin from the potatoes and chop into 3/4-inch cubes, placing them into a large bowl. Add the cucumber, tomato, cilantro, dates, mint and chopped pistachios.

Peel the eggs and roughly chop them. Add them into the bowl.

Pour all the dressing over the salad and mix until evenly coated. Cover and let refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flavors develop. Season to taste with salt, if needed, and devour!

Note: I buy my cashews pre-roasted. If you don’t, bake them in a 350ºF oven for 10–12 minutes before soaking. This adds a lot of flavor!