Sweet Potato Salad with Tomato and Ginger...and Fried Chicken!

So, this past week, my family came to visit!  We all (well, almost all) have birthdays in the summer, so we had a massive B-day celebration!  We made some ridiculously good food: fish tacos with sriracha mayo and sweet potato fries, and miso-tahini cabbage salad with baked sesame chicken...yum!  Some of my favorite memories are grocery shopping with all of us together in a little band.  My mother-in-law enjoys making menus as much as me, and we get to "geek out" together at the grocery.  She happened to pick up a Saveur magazine in the checkout line for us to read, which inspired me to make the recipes below.  I find the best way to fill the gap after family leaves, is to make some really great food to keep those good feelings going.  

I found the sweet potato salad in Saveur magazine.  There was a wonderful article about a "salad pot-luck" where everyone brought a different salad to share.  All of the salad recipes looked delicious, but I picked the sweet potato salad because I've always wanted to try substituting sweet potatoes for regular ones in a traditional potato salad.  This recipe, however, is far from traditional.  There is no mayo, mustard, or hard boiled eggs.  Instead, the sweet potatoes and tomatoes are soaked in a light, citrus vinaigrette with a hint of spicy ginger.  I have to admit that, at first, I wasn't sold on this salad.  It was a little sweeter and more sour than I expected.  I wasn't sure that I wanted to eat it just by itself.  But, I left it to marinate for about an hour while I made some fried chicken to go with it.  Once I came back to it and tasted it again, I realized that marinating it was really the key.  All of the components need to fuse together, otherwise the flavors seem separate from each other, almost discordant.  However, when they all sat together for a little while, the flavors really meshed into something fresh and delightful!  I decided to use the salad as a garnish or "salsa" on top of the chicken, which was delicious.  I could see this salad going on any type of meat. It is sweet and vibrantly citrus-y.  

The fried chicken recipe below is one of my favorites...well, it is actually a new favorite because I've never made it before.  But I did fry up some fish for our fish tacos, and liked the breading so much that I wanted to use it with chicken.  There are several reasons why I recommend this method:

1. I used the traditional breading technique: dip in flour, dip in egg, dip in bread crumbs, fry until golden brown.  It works every time!

2. I used Panko bread crumbs, which are far superior to any other bread crumbs.  I'm not sure how they make them, but they are perfectly crispy and cling easily to whatever ingredient you are frying.  Also, they are white out of the package, but fry up perfectly golden brown.

3. I pounded the chicken until it was thin (I also used very thin fish fillets for the tacos), which is essential because the chicken (or fish) cooks all the way through in the pan.  There is no need to finish cooking in the oven.  The chicken comes straight out of the pan hot and crispy and ready to eat!

4. I used coconut oil, which is not a necessary step (as it can be expensive), but gives the chicken/fish the most glorious subtle coconut flavor.  Coconut oil fries beautifully as it can take higher temperatures, plus it sets up as it cools (like lard or butter), so instead of getting soggy, the breading stays intact.

I recommend using this recipe and its technique for any frying project.  It works great with meat or veggies!

Sweet Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Ginger
Adapted from Saveur magazine
makes about 3-4 cups

The original recipe

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 small heirloom tomatoes, chopped (or any ripe tomato will do!)
1 handful Italian parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 orange
1 TB ginger, grated fine
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Optional (I did not add): 1 TB honey, maple syrup, or molasses

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash sweet potatoes well.  Place in aluminum foil and bake for about 45 mins or until soft, but still slightly firm.  Let cool.  

2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1" large chunks. In a large bowl, add sweet potato bites, chopped tomato, and parsley.  In a separate bowl, whisk together citrus juice, olive oil, and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour vinaigrette over veggies and mix well.  Let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

3. Serve cold by itself as a side dish, or over meat or fish as a garnish.

Fried Chicken
makes about 10-12 small pieces

2 large chicken breasts
1 cup garbanzo bean flour (or regular flour)
1 egg
1-2 cup Panko bread crumbs
coconut oil (or other high heat oil, like canola) for frying
salt and pepper to taste

NOTE: this recipe is ALL about preparation!  If you set everything up properly, and clean as you go, frying the chicken will be super easy and quick!

1. Prep a baking sheet with a cooling rack on top to put the fried chicken on to drip.  Turn your oven on warm (about 170F) if you are not going to eat the chicken right away.  You can keep it warm while you prep the rest of your meal.  You can also use paper towels to catch drips...though I like to keep my trash to a minimum.
2. Ready three medium bowls.  In the first, place flour with a generous amount of salt (about 2-3 tsp) and pepper.  Mix well.  In the second, add the egg with a little water.  Whisk well.  In the third, add the Panko bread crumbs.  Set all bowl aside...preferably near where you are going to be frying so they are easily reached.

3. Prep a plate with two pieces of parchment paper on it.  You will use this to pound out the chicken.  Find a cup or other hard object that will be used to pound the chicken.  I used a small, glass jelly jar.

4. On a clean cutting board, place chicken breasts.  Cut them in 1" long strips (pictured below).

5. Place one strip on it's flat side in between parchment paper.  Pound lightly until it is about 1/2-1/4" thick.  Make sure to pound the piece of chicken evenly.  This will ensure that it cooks evenly in the pan. Repeat with all chicken pieces. (It's ok if they're funny shapes, what matters is they are completely even.)

6. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom.
7.  While your pan is heating, place chicken pieces in the flour, cover completely, then shake off the excess.  Then, dip in the egg and cover completely.  Then, dip in Panko and make sure the breading covers the chicken entirely.  

8. When oil is hot (chicken should sizzle when it is placed in the pan, but the oil should not be smoking!), add enough chicken pieces to cover the bottom of the pan...but don't crowd them!  This will ensure they all cook evenly. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat with all chicken pieces adding in more oil as necessary. You can sprinkle fried chicken with a little more salt if you wish. Place finished chicken on baking sheet and transfer to oven to keep warm. 

9. Serve hot topped with sweet potato salad...or whatever you wish!  ENJOY!