Yampers (camper’s jacket yams)
Yampers (camper’s jacket yams)
Servings: 4
I can’t tell you how great this salad is for kids – and those young at heart – like a school camp baked potato, made salady. You could certainly do this with potatoes, but I like the way sweet potato or yam brings another level of lovely caramelness and colour. Use tinned corn – it’s more authentically campy, but if you have fresh cobs, boil for 4 minutes, then shave off the kernels. Ghanaian chef Selassie Atadika taught me that sweet potato leaves are used like spinach in her neck of the woods, so if that’s yours too, feel free to double down on sweet potato from root to leaf. Complete the campfire effect with smoked salt if it’s already in your pantry. If using a big sweet potato, or yam, you could roast it whole (which’ll take about an hour) or you could chop it into chunky bits to shorten the cooking time.
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Ingredients
- 6-8 small sweet potatoes, about 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) washed
- 100 g (3½ oz) red cabbage finely shredded
- 1 carrot, about 100 g (3½ oz) finely shredded
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt flakes
SOUR CREAM & CHIVE DRIZZLE
- 100 g (3½ oz) sour cream
- 50 g (1¾ oz) pouring cream
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives plus extra for garnish
- ½ tsp salt flakes
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
FINAL BITS & BOBS
- 50 g (1¾ oz) baby spinach leaves
- 80 g (2¾ oz) cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup (200 g) corn kernels
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pop sweet potatoes onto a lined tray and into a cold oven. Crank the heat to 220°C (430°F) or 200°C (400°F) fan forced, then roast them nudey rudey (undressed) for 40 minutes, until they blister, burst and yield to the touch.
- Make the sour cream and chive drizzle by whisking the ingredients together, tasting and seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Toss together shredded cabbage, carrot, vinegar and salt, then season to taste with more salt and a generous crack of pepper.
- To assemble, lay a bed of baby spinach in the base of a large shallow bowl, then arrange the baked sweet potatoes, still in their jackets, over the top. Pierce into each with whatever implement is to hand by criss-crossing, then squashing down a little to expose the vibrant orange (or purple!) innards.
- Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the innards while still warm, to let the cheese melt.
- Pour half of the sour cream and chive drizzle over the top in broad strokes, then tumble on the cabbage and carrot slaw and the cooked corn. Finish off with more of the drizzle over the top, then sprinkle with extra chives and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil. Crack pepper on and call it a day.
Notes
Recipe from Salad for Days, Murdoch Books
