Beautiful Spice-Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
30 July 2025
Beautiful Spice-Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Dates and Pickled Shallots
There are recipes we keep coming back to because they’re easy, delicious, and have just the right mix of comfort and freshness. This roasted sweet potato salad has become one of mine. It’s simple enough to throw together for a weeknight dinner but feels special enough to bring to a gathering, a summer picnic, or just when friends are coming over for a casual meal around the table.
It starts with roasted sweet potato, which I think is one of the most versatile ingredients we can keep on hand. Roasting them with cumin and sesame seeds gives so much flavour for so little effort. While they cook, the kitchen fills with the kind of aroma that makes you hungry in the best way.
The dates add something really beautiful here. Roasting them briefly turns them into little bites of chewy caramel, which pairs so well with the creaminess of the cheese. I often use goat’s cheese for its tang, but feta works just as well and gives a firmer, saltier note. For a vegan-friendly version, you can, of course, omit the cheese.
Pickled shallots might sound like an extra step, but they’re quick to make and make such a difference. That bright, tangy pop lifts everything else and keeps the salad feeling fresh and balanced. You can make them while the sweet potatoes roast, and they’ll happily sit in the fridge for a few days if you want to get ahead. In quite a few of my salads, I pickled shallots & so I love having them on the ready.
The dressing:
The dressing is simple and quick – just lime juice, a little date molasses (such a great ingredient btw) or pomegranate molasses, olive oil and salt. If you haven’t used date molasses before, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s deeply sweet but not overpowering and gives a wonderful roundness to the dressing.
This is one of those forgiving recipes you can easily make your own. No sesame seeds? Try sunflower or nigella seeds instead. Eating vegan? Skip the cheese or swap in some roasted chickpeas for extra protein. Want more crunch? Toasted almonds work beautifully. I also love adding grains or legumes such as freekah, pearled farro, or French-style green lentils for extra nourishment. I’ll leave that up to you, though, and keep the recipe I’m sharing here in its simpler format, without the grains and legumes.
A Recipe to Return To
I love recipes like this because they take everyday ingredients and turn them into something you look forward to eating. It’s colourful, full of flavour, and it works warm or at room temperature, so you can take it anywhere – a picnic, a barbecue, or even make it ahead for weekday lunches.
Mostly, though, I love how happy people are when they eat it. It’s the kind of dish that sparks a little “what’s in this?” conversation around the table and then gets written down on scraps of paper or phones because someone wants to make it at home later. For me, that’s the best sign of a keeper.
So, here it is. A nourishing & beautiful Spice-Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Goat’s Cheese, Dates and Pickled Shallots.
A special dish to share with your family & friends and hopefully, to become one of your favourites too.
Love this recipe? You might also enjoy:
- Tadka Dal – Indian Spiced Lentils
- Aloo Gobi – One Tray Bake
- Marry Me Lentils
- A Very Beautiful Olive Oil Cake – Dedicated to my Three Daughters
- Join our Relish Mama Cooking Club – a welcoming community for food lovers who want to keep learning, cooking delicious dishes and connecting over truly delicious meals.
The full recipe is just below. I hope it brings comfort to your kitchen. I hope you love it very much.
With love,
Nellie
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Spice-Roasted Sweet Potato with Goats Cheese, Dates and Pickled Shallots
Equipment
- 2 large baking trays lined with baking paper
- Small saucepan (for pickling shallots)
- Mixing bowls (1 large, 2 small)
- Measuring spoons and jug
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Whisk (for dressing)
- Serving platter
Ingredients
- 1 kg Sweet potato
- 2 tablespoons Black sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons Whole cumin seeds
- 40 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt flakes
- 10 Medjool dates
- 100 g Feta or goats cheeseCoriander
- 80 ml Red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Red shallots, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons date molasses or use or pomegranate molasses)
- 40 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Toss the sweet potato wedges with the sesame seeds, cumin seeds and oil. Season with salt, thenplace the wedges on the prepared trays.
- Roast for 25 minutes or until the edges of the potato are golden and the flesh is soft.Roast the dates for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool. They will crisp a littleupon cooling.
- For the Pickled Shallots: Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bringto the boil, then simmer for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the shallots to the hot liquid. Leave to sitfor 1 hour before serving.
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Arrange the sweet potato wedges on a platter. Crumble over the goat’s cheese or feta and top with theroasted dates and pickled red shallots.
- Drizzle with the dressing and serve topped with coriander.
Notes
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Vegan Friendly