I love a good potato salad, it's so comforting, creamy, honestly it's simple to mix together, and reminds me of summer- BBQ's especially! It's the perfect side to bring to any BBQ because it goes with everything! EXCEPT, I love sweet potatoes, Japanese Yams in particular, vs. regular ones and I prefer a lighter yet creamy mustard dressing vs. your typical mayo based dressing that you would find. So, for this recipe, I changed things up. 

I also wanted to make this salad a little more gut friendlier and healthier! Not only do sweet potatoes have anti-inflammatory properties, but they have a higher fiber content than regular potatoes and are easily digested! They are soothing for your stomach and your gut! I also added in Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen both to the mustard vinaigrette dressing as well as the water the sweet potatoes were boiling in! I've talked so much about my gut health issues on my blog (here) with SIBO & leaky gut and drinking bone broth on the regular is a staple in my diet for healing my gut as well as helping to restore its' lining.  I've found that the more I drink bone broth and use collagen, the stronger and better my digestion is and I feel that my stomach is less inflamed! Not only does bone broth help sooth your digestive track, and help with growth of probiotics in your gut, but its great for healthy joints, stronger hair and skin health! Plus, bone broth collagen easily dissolves in the mustard vinaigrette dressing and it is tasteless! You can see how I've incorporated their Marine Collagen, into a breakfast recipe, when I made this cacao oatmeal bake with a cashew cream here!

Back to the recipe... I prefer to boil the sweet potatoes instead of roasting them, because they become so soft, but you are still left with a little bite. Plus, when you add the creamy dressing to the mix, the dressing seeps into the potatoes so much more fluidly and bits break off too. It almost becomes melt in your mouth! You can certainly roast the potatoes, but honestly, it is faster and less complicated to boil them, add to a large bowl and toss with the tangy dressing! I tend to also stick with Japanese Yams because I find them a little less sweet than the others. 

There are just a few steps to this recipe, boiling the potatoes, the eggs, and making the dressing, but it is worth it and quite simple as you can practically do them all simultaneously! It is worth it. 

Main Meals/Side dish
Yields: about 8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time:  1 hour (* note, I like my sweet potatoes to be completely cool after boiling them, cutting, & adding the dressing, therefore the total time will be longer. Steps optional. See notes) 

what you need:

Sweet potato salad:
4 sweet potatoes (I used Japanese yams)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup scallions
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
1 packet of Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen (I used the chicken flavor!) 

Mustard Vinaigrette dressing:
Yields 1 cup. 
1/4 cup dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 packet of Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen (I used the chicken flavor!) 
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
2 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
optional add ins: half of a lemon  

what you need to do:

For the sweet potatoes: prepare first. 

1. In a large pot (one that will fit all 4 of the potatoes or use two pots), bring the water to a boil. Add 1 packet of the Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen. It will dissolve completely in the water. Next, add the potatoes so they are completely covered by the water. Bring the temperature down to medium. 

2. Boil the sweet potatoes for roughly 30 minutes. You want the sweet potatoes to be cooked, tender, yet still a little firm to touch. You can check by sticking a fork through. See notes. 

3. Once the sweet potatoes are finished, remove them from the water and allow them to cool completely before you cut them. I stick them in the fridge to speed up the process. 

4. While the sweet potatoes are boiling, boil the eggs. In a smaller pot, bring the water to a rapid boil. Then, turn the temperature to medium heat, carefully add the eggs to the water and boil for 12 minutes. Immediately place them in a bowl filled with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside. Allow to cool.

5. Chop the celery and the scallions. Set aside. 

For the mustard vinaigrette: 

1. Add all of the ingredients into a mason jar (easier to shake up) or a bowl and whisk together! Taste test. Adjust to preference. 

ASSEMBLE:

1. Once the sweet potatoes have cooled, slice them in half the long way and cut them into chunks. I left the skin on, but feel free to peel the skin off. 

2. Peel the egg shells and slice the eggs. 

3. Add the sweet potatoes, the eggs, chopped celery, chopped scallions, sea salt, pepper, as well as the dressing to a large bowl and give it a good mix, until well combined. Serve cold. 

NOTES:

Dressing:

The dressing will be on the thicker side. I prefer it this way and makes the sweet potato salad a little on the creamier side, but if you prefer it to be a thinner consistency, start by adding a small amount of warm water to the mixture. However, you do not want it to be extremely thing or you will have a pool of vinaigrette at the bottom of your sweet potato bowl. Note that this is more a thicker dressing vs. your regular salad dressing. 

Sweet potato salad: 

1. I allow the sweet potatoes to completely cool before I slice them into pieces because I find it to be easier. You can skip this step. Some people like to add the dressing while the sweet potatoes are still warm, but I find that the dressing sticks better when the sweet potatoes are cold! Totally up to you!

2. Make sure you do not over boil the potatoes or they will be mush! You want them to be firm to touch, yet cooked all the way through. Mine were perfect after about 30 minutes. I checked after 25 minutes, so it will depend on the size and thickness of your sweet potato. 

3. You can use any sweet potato you prefer, I just love the taste of Japanese Yams. 

4. You can also add in any additions to the salad or leave out any that I did! If you do not have the Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen, you can omit it but it has amazing benefits! 

5. It will last up to a week or so in the fridge, but I promise you will finish it within a few days! So addicting!