Salads

5 Salads in 5 Days: Roasted Sweet Potato and Fig Salad with Balsamic Glaze

This is Day 3 of my ‘5 Salads in 5 Days’ series (Day 1 was Warm Goat’s Cheese Salad and Day 2 was Mediterranean Mixed Bean Salad)

Figs leaves were used to cover up the (ahem) private parts of Adam and Eve, but I believe I’ve got a better use for them – add them to a salad with roasted sweet potato wedges and dressed with a balsamic glaze. (I’m talking about using the fruit of the fig, of course, not the fig leaf).

Looking back on my childhood, I associated figs with Fig Newton cookies and I must admit I was more fond of laying into a Hostess Twinkie than into a Fig Newton. But figs are my hero in this salad: their plump ripeness goes well with the slight tartness of the balsamic reduction and the roasted sweet potato wedges.

And, oh, I believe that Cleopatra was also fond of figs ….

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5 Salads in 5 Days: Roasted Sweet Potato and Fig Salad with Balsamic Glaze
 
Serves: 2
Roasted sweet potatoes resting on a bed of greens with plump ripe figs, and dressed with a balsamic glaze
Ingredients
  • 1 sweet potato (~ 400 kg)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil (to coat sweet potato)
  • Salt/pepper
  • 3 spring onions
  • 1 red chili, sliced thinly
  • 3 ripe figs, quartered
  • 150 g soft goat’s cheese (optional)
  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp fine sugar
  • Salad Greens
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F).
  2. Cut the sweet potato into wedges about ½ inch wide. Coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place wedges skin-side down on baking tray and roast for about 20 minutes, or until soft but still firm. Remove from oven and let cool.
  3. Halve the spring onions lengthwise then cut into 1.5 inch segments. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in small saucepan, add the spring onion and chili slices and cook for several minutes until vegetables are soft.
  4. To prepare the balsamic glaze, heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar together in a saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and let simmer for several minutes until the liquid thickens (but should be runnier than honey).
  5. To finish, place the salad greens on a platter and arrange the sweet potato pieces on top. Next, spoon the spring onion and chili pieces over the sweet potatoes. Arrange the fig pieces among the potato wedges and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Sprinkle the crumbled goat’s cheese around the platter before serving.
 

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6 Comments

  • Reply
    John@Kitchen Riffs
    February 28, 2014 at 2:34 am

    Figs are soooo good. And something I virtually never use in a salad. I should! This looks wonderful — thanks.

    • Reply
      Fran
      February 28, 2014 at 5:33 pm

      Hi John, I agree, and figs are so versatile, you can use them in main courses and desserts, too!

  • Reply
    Amira
    February 28, 2014 at 3:06 am

    Figs in salads? well never tried that before, may be because in Egypt figs are so so sweet. I’ll give it a try.

    • Reply
      Fran
      February 28, 2014 at 5:38 pm

      Hi Amira. I believe figs go well in just about anything. To me, they are not as sweet as mangoes or pineapples, and I’ve had those fruits in salads before.

  • Reply
    Claire @ Simply Sweet Justice
    March 17, 2014 at 2:27 pm

    I’m normally not a fan of figs (fig newtons ruined ’em for me!), but this sounds like perfect redemption for the fig. 🙂

  • Reply
    Jerry | Simply Good Eating
    March 18, 2014 at 6:50 am

    This salad looks so fresh and amazing especially with the figs. I want one! Thanks for sharing this Fran 🙂

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