Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Farro Salad with Garlic Olive Oil

Ahhh sweet potatoes! They’re rich in antioxidant vitamins like A (beta-carotene), C and E and heart-healthy vitamins like B6 to help keep the arteries and blood vessels flowing freely. Sweet potatoes also hold their own against the stigma of bad carbs. They contain twice as much fiber as ordinary yellow and white potatoes and their natural sugars are released into the bloodstream slowly (as opposed to spiking from low-fiber carbs) which ensures a balanced and regular source of energy. We found the idea for this salad from MarthaStewart.com and tweaked it just a bit. What also attracted us to this recipe was its versatility; you can serve this dish warm, at room temperature or chilled. When it comes to entertaining, how easy it that?  Keep the skins on the potatoes for great texture and added nutrients (saves some time too).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium-sized), scrubbed and rinsed
• 6 tablespoons Olive This! Garlic Olive Oil, divided
• 1 cup uncooked farro
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup chopped dill, lightly packed
• ½ cup baby watercress, pea shoots or sprouts (arugula or radish sprouts), plus more for garnish
• kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Clean and scrub sweet potatoes. 

Dice the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces.  Keep the skins on for the fiber, nutrients and great texture.

Divide them into two piles on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle two tablespoons of garlic olive oil onto each pile of potatoes (using 4 tablespoons in total). Mix the sweet potatoes well with a large spoon (or toss with bare hands) until the pieces are evenly coated.

Spread out into a single layer and roast in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Half way through the cooking time, flip the potatoes on each baking sheet and switch places when returning them the oven (top baking sheet goes to the bottom rack and bottom sheet goes to the top rack of the oven).

While the potatoes are roasting, prepare the farro according to package directions. While the farro cooks, chop the dill and zest and juice the lemon.

Drain the farro completely and transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of garlic olive oil over the farro and toss well. Salt to taste.

Remove sweet potatoes from oven. To the farro, add the sweet potatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ cup chopped dill and ½ cup of sprouts. Season again with salt to taste.

Gently toss to combine well. Garnish with extra sprouts and dill and serve. Enjoy warm, at room temperature or chilled.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

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