Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad

A recipe for Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad to celebrate the Secret Recipe Club! An arugula blend is paired with sweet potatoes, Spanish chorizo, almonds, peppers, Manchego, and a lemony sherry vinaigrette.

Secret Recipe Club

After taking a break for the holidays, Group D of the Secret Recipe Club is back! For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes a group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified reveal day. I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog.

This month I was assigned to Sue’s Palatable Pastime. Sue started her blog in May 2013 as a way to share her recipes and cooking ideas. She is drawn to Heartland/Southern cooking, but also features quite an incredible variety of flavors. She has a great mixture of simple to more complex recipes with quality ingredients.

Her Chorizo, Sweet Potato, Roasted Pepper, and Manchego Salad caught my eye, but I also pinned Mardi Gras King Cake (perfect for this time of year), Rustic Tortellini Soup, Alsatian Quiche, Chernika Oladi, and Bucatini with Pistachio Gremolata for later.

Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad

For this recipe, I was inspired by Sue’s Chorizo, Sweet Potato, Roasted Pepper and Manchego Salad!

I absolutely loved the color and flavor combination in this Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad. An arugula blend (I used packaged super greens blend with arugula, baby spinach, Swiss chard, and tat soi) is topped with sliced roasted sweet potatoes, pan-fried Spanish chorizo, toasted almonds, roasted peppers, and Manchego cheese.

Immediately before serving, pair the salad with a lemony sherry vinaigrette for a delicious and flavorful lunch.

A Few Tips

To roast the sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Place the sweet potato on a baking sheet and pierce a few times with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven until tender all the way through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside to cool to room temperature. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate for up to a couple of days.

Make the sherry vinaigrette first and set aside to allow the flavors to blend as you prepare the rest of the salad. Whisk again immediately before serving.

I toasted the almonds in a dry skillet before I heated the chorizo. Keep an eye on them and stir often. They quickly go from toasted and fragrant to burnt.

Do not add oil to the skillet before adding the chorizo. It will release plenty on its own as it cooks. I wrote down 4 ounces (113 grams) for the chorizo, but you may want it have closer to 5 ounces (142 grams). I couldn’t stop myself from snacking on a few warm from the skillet while preparing the rest of the salad.

Keep the dressing separate until immediately before serving.

Notable Ingredients

Spanish Chorizo is a type of smoked or cured sausage seasoned with paprika. Based on the type of seasoning, it can be spicy or sweet. It is available in the specialty or deli section of many larger grocery stores and markets with Spanish ingredients.

Do not substitute with Mexican Chorizo, a completely different product. I used mild Spanish Chorizo for this dish, but the spicy version would be great for those who want a little kick.

Manchego is a type of Spanish cheese made with sheep’s milk, pasteurized or unpasteurized. It is from La Mancha, Spain and named after the breed of sheep- Manchega. The color is pale yellow to yellow with a deep yellow to brownish inedible rind.

In the beginning of the aging process, from 3 to about 6 months, it is called Manchego Curado. At this point, the cheese is pale yellow with a smooth texture. Once the cheese is aged around a year (Manchego Viejo), the yellow color deepens and it becomes crumbly in texture. It is fragrant, with a sharp and nutty flavor. Be careful not to confuse it with Manchego-style cheese created in other parts of the world. If you cannot find Manchego, substitute with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.

Looking for more recipes with Spanish Chorizo?

Try my

• Croquetas de Chorizo (Spanish Chorizo Croquettes)
• Patatas a la Riojana (Potatoes Rioja-Style with Chorizo)
• Macarrones con Chorizo (Spanish Pasta with Chorizo)

Check out what everyone else made!

• Ham and Asparagus Quiche from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Garlic-Herb Tomato Sauce with Italian Meatballs from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Shopska Salata (Bulgarian Salad) from Without Adornment
• Hot Toddy from Lynsey Lou’s
• Chutney Chicken and Vegetable Parcels from Lavender and Lovage
• Crock Pot Boston Baked Beans from Life on Food
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Cuban Sandwiches from I am a Honey Bee
• Homemade Hostess Cupcakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cider-Glazed Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower Rice from A Calculated Whisk
• Avocado Dip from The Spiffy Cookie
• Carrot Flowers from Making Miracles
• Healthy Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Crema from Palatable Pastime
• Quinoa and Sweet Potato Cakes from Chocolate and Chillies
• Earl Grey Tea Madeleines from Hapa-tite
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Our Good Life

Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

Adapted from Palatable Pastime

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad

A recipe for Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad! An arugula blend is paired with sweet potatoes, Spanish chorizo, almonds, peppers, Manchego, and a lemony sherry vinaigrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine N/A

Keyword cheese, chorizo, manchego, salad, sweet potato

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 2 -3 Servings

Ingredients

Sherry Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

• 3.5 ounces (100 grams) arugula salad blend
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) sliced almonds
• 4 ounces (113 grams) Spanish chorizo
• 6 ounces (170 grams) sweet potato roasted and cooled
• 2 fire roasted piquillo peppers diced
• 2 ounces (57 grams) Manchego cheese shaved

Instructions

To make the vinaigrette:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Set aside while preparing the salad.

To assemble the Chorizo and Sweet Potato Salad:

• Arrange the arugula blend on a large serving platter.
• Place a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast, stirring often, until just golden and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Clean the skillet and place back over medium heat. Thinly slice the chorizo and add to the heated skillet.
• Cook, stirring often, until heated through and the fat has been rendered. Remove from heat and transfer to a towel lined plate using a slotted spoon to drain excess moisture.
• Once cooled, add the drained chorizo to the salad.
• Peel the roasted sweet potato and thinly slice. Arrange over the salad along with the diced peppers. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and the Manchego cheese.
• Serve the salad immediately with the sherry vinaigrette.