Nothing says festive like this composed sweet potato radicchio salad. It’s easy to scale down for smaller celebrations and the sheer beauty of it makes for a nice addition to a holiday spread. I love all of the contrasting flavours and textures with this dish!

There’s the sweet and roast-y sweet potatoes along with an equally roast-y shallot dressing. I decided on a bed of radicchio and roughly torn parsley for that bitter contrast. I layer on thin wisps of fresh fennel for a cool vibe. Then I go in with juicy segments of fresh orange. Crunchy coriander and maple-candied pumpkin seeds seal the deal. I toasted and ground up whole coriander here and it was great!

I am a fan of the bitter and slight licorice-y flavours here contrasted with the sweet. I know that these strong flavours may not be for everyone though! If you’re serving some less adventurous eaters, this sweet potato radicchio salad might not be the right option for the occasion. I have other great Fall salads that are a bit more crowd-pleasing though: Kale and Brussels Sprout Caesar Slaw, this Cauliflower and Roasted Chickpea Salad with Avocado, or this Brussels Sprout and Apple Salad with Creamy Hemp Dressing and Apples. And on a more crowd pleasing note, I have these Sweet Potato Cake Patties with Lemony Slaw as well.

Hope that you’re having a good week so far. I can’t believe that we’re closing in on holiday season! So many people in my neighbourhood already have the holiday decorations up. How about you? Are you getting into it full swing or do you feel like all of that can wait? I keep oscillating between the two haha. If you’re planning holiday meals, I’ve got all my best options right here. Catch ya back here soon!

Sweet Potato Radicchio Salad with Roasted Shallot Dressing & Candied Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet potato radicchio salad is perfect for Fall and festive meals. Served with roasted shallot dressing and candied pumpkin seeds.

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 6

Ingredients

• ½ cup pumpkin seeds (raw and unsalted)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1½ teaspoons ground coriander, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground chillies or cayenne pepper, optional
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 shallots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 small fennel bulb, shaved thin
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley leaves, torn
• 1 orange, peeled and segmented (or sliced!)

Equipment

• Blender

Notes

• I used Diaspora Co.‘s extremely flavourful coriander and ground Guntur Sannam chillies here. I know I mention them a lot, but I really do recommend their spices!
• You can use the same candy-ing technique with walnuts, sunflower seeds, pecans, whatever you’re feeling.
• 1/2 a cup of pomegranate seeds would be amazing in place of the orange segments.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Make the candied pumpkin seeds. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Once it's hot, add the pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of coriander, chili, salt, and pepper. Stir the seeds constantly until maple syrup is caramelized and seeds are toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer candied pumpkin seeds to a plate and spread them out as best you can. Allow them to cool thoroughly.
• Place the chopped sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Place the halved shallots in their own little corner of the baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the sweet potatoes and shallots. Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of ground coriander, some salt, and pepper. Toss the sweet potatoes and shallots to coat. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.
• At the 30 minute mark, carefully retrieve the shallots from the baking sheet and transfer them to your blender. Gently flip and toss the sweet potatoes and put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until they're tender and golden on the sides. Let them cool slightly.
• To the blender, add the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, water, remaining ¼ cup of olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Blend the dressing on high until completely smooth. Add a splash of water if you need to get the blade of the motor going. Set aside.
• Assemble the salad! I like to do this in two layers. Arrange half of the radicchio, fennel, parsley, and roasted sweet potatoes in a layer on your serving plate. Spoon half of the dressing over top and season with salt and pepper. Make another layer on top with the remaining radicchio, fennel, parsley, and roasted sweet potatoes. Spoon the remaining dressing over the top and season again with salt and pepper.
• Top the salad with the orange segments and the candied pumpkin seeds. I like to crush up the candied pumpkin seeds with my fingers as I scatter them. Enjoy immediately!

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Nut-Free, Plant-Based, Vegan, Vegetarian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: chili, coriander, fennel, herbs, holiday entertaining, holidays, maple syrup, orange, parsley, potluck dishes, pumpkin seeds, radicchio, sweet potatoes