Fall

Martha Stewart's Raw Sweet Potato, Celery & Apple Salad

March  8, 2016
4
9 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Yes, this salad has raw sweet potato in it—but before you wrinkle your nose, remember: We felt this way about kale salads not long ago. Raw sweet potatoes are crunchy and flavorful, and far from sticky-sweet, the way they can be when they're cooked. Raw sweet potato is pretty common in the raw food community, a natural place for novel ideas like this to catch on (they predicted one-ingredient banana ice cream, too). On blogs and in cookbooks, the crunchy orange starch takes the form of spiralized salads, soups, juices, and raw sweet potato pies. Adapted slightly from Whole Living (January/February 2012). Note: Although raw sweet potatoes can be eaten in a variety of ways safely, please don't get so excited about this salad that you make raw sweet potatoes a staple of your diet. In extreme cases, in the absence of other proteins, a diet based on raw sweet potatoes can be dangerous. Here's further reading. —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 small sweet potato, peeled and finely julienned into matchstick (about 2 cups)
  • 1 tart apple like Granny Smith, cored and finely julienned into matchsticks
  • 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 3 radishes, finely julienned
  • 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, ginger, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. In another bowl, combine sweet potato, apple, celery, scallions, radishes, sesame seeds, and cilantro.
  3. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • clayshapes
    clayshapes
  • hardlikearmour
    hardlikearmour
  • Idalu
    Idalu
  • FarmGirl
    FarmGirl
Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

12 Reviews

FarmGirl January 16, 2023
This is a fantastic recipe! I have made it many times and it always gets rave reviews. It’s unique…and a great side dish. Yes…it does take a bit of effort to cut everything appropriately….but well worth it!
 
Lisa L. April 29, 2019
This will become a regular in my repertoire. Crunchy, spicy from the ginger, tart from the apple, with a seedy addition. It's lovely and stays good for days in the fridge.
 
Candace April 13, 2019
Made this for a party last night and it was a huge hit. No one knew the orange stuff was sweet potatoes and they loved it, as did I. Don't know what the fuss is about raw sweet potatoes - fresh ones are very firm and indeed sweet, even raw. Used a OXO julienne peeler for the sweet potatoes and a very thin/sharp knife for the rest. Used a drop of sesame oil in place of the seeds and added 1/4 tsp of maple syrup for a touch more sweetness - limes work as well as lemons. I will make this often - a very elegant and refreshing salad.
 
Emily April 7, 2019
I might try this On a busy night with a package of broccoli carrot slaw, maybe with cabbage. Love the celery, apples and dressing. Sunflower seeds would be nice —good idea!
 
piggledy March 24, 2018
I don’t know what to think about uncooked sweet potato, think there has been a grave error perpetrated upon the public - my palate is convinced, cooked sweet potatoes, yams, and yellow squash must be toxic! However, I can vouch for uncooked yellow squash, it is lovely in a salad, and lends a bit of color, as well. So, for those who are reluctant to eat uncooked sweet potato, perhaps squash would be a good substitute.
 
clayshapes April 23, 2016
The picture looks great...and I tried it...but raw sweet potato just tastes...raw! Didn't care for this as is - but will try again and substitute julienned carrots. Dressing is yummy.
 
ingridb March 29, 2016
This recipe is as great as it says it is! However it is quite difficult to julienne sweet potatoes on a standard mandolin (ie those cheap plastic ones) so it did take a really long time. Any tips on how to make that easier would be appreciated.
 
Candace April 13, 2019
OXO makes a julienne peeler which I used for the sweet potatoes. Makes it all much easier. I use a very thin, sharp knife for the other vegetables.
 
hardlikearmour March 16, 2016
I made this last night, but substituted sunflower seeds for the sesame seeds, and it was delicious -- Thumbs way up!
 
Walter B. March 14, 2016
Yes, bless you for speaking truth to kale, may its reign be subject to regulation. But, um, without the julienne finger attachment for my hand, I'm fearing about forty minutes of prep here.
 
cookinalong March 14, 2016
Halleluia! Does this mean our long national kale nightmare is over!? I'll try this, if only as a strike against the kale propaganda machine!
 
Idalu March 13, 2016
Raw sweet potatoes, hum... Thanks but no thanks.