Recipe: The simple summer salad - sweet potato, asparagus and hazelnut

Sweet potato may not be the prettiest vegetable at the fair, but below the surface it brims with nutritional chutzpah. Grown on a creeping vine, sweet potato offers a stellar source of potassium (which helps regulate blood pressure and aids muscle contraction) not to mention vitamins A, B6 and C, as well as beta-carotene, calcium, iron and fibre.

For one of the simplest and tastiest summer salads around, try the following sweet potato recipe. Choose any variety (red, orange or gold sweet potato) and serve either warm or chilled.

Ingredients

Salad

• 5-6 (750g) medium-sized cooked sweet potato, cut into thick slices
• 7-8 stalks of asparagus cooked until tender
• 200g roughly chopped hazelnuts
• mixed lettuce leaves

Dressing

• 2tbsp lemon juice
• 5tbsp olive oil
• 1 level tsp salt 1 level tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the lettuce leaves on a plate, layer the sweet potato and asparagus over the top. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts, drizzle with the dressing, and gently turn. Voila!

Serves 4-6