Grilled Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
This salad sits at the intersection of two lineages: Rick Bayless’s Topolobampo in Chicago, where sweet potato appears in various guises across seasons, and the smoky-sweet chipotle preparations that Enrique Olvera popularised at Pujol. The combination of charred sweet potato — earthy, caramelised, slightly collapsing — with firm black beans and the warm heat of chipotle in a honey-balanced vinaigrette produces a salad that is filling enough to anchor a meal. The Chipotle-Honey-Vinaigrette supplies both the dressing and the dominant flavour register.
Ingredients (serves 4)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sweet potatoes (medium, orange-fleshed) | 3 (about 700 g total) |
| Cooked black beans (or 1 × 400 g tin) | 250 g |
| Red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons | ½ medium |
| Baby rocket (arugula) or mixed greens | 80 g |
| Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped | 3 tbsp |
| Pepitas, toasted | 3 tbsp |
| Cotija or feta, crumbled | 50 g |
| Extra-virgin olive oil (for grilling) | 2 tbsp |
| Smoked sea salt or flaky salt | to finish |
| Lime, cut into wedges | 2 |
For the dressing: → Chipotle-Honey-Vinaigrette
Method
- Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1.5 cm rounds. Toss with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt.
- Grill over medium-high heat (or on a cast-iron ridged pan) for 4–5 minutes per side until deep grill marks form and the potato is just cooked through — tender but not falling apart. Set aside to cool to warm room temperature.
- While the potato grills, soak the red onion slices in cold water with a splash of vinegar for 10 minutes; drain and pat dry.
- Drain and rinse the black beans. Toss with a small spoonful of the Chipotle-Honey-Vinaigrette and season with salt.
- Arrange the rocket on a platter. Layer the warm sweet potato rounds over the greens, then scatter the black beans and pickled onion on top.
- Drizzle the Chipotle-Honey-Vinaigrette generously over everything.
- Finish with cilantro, toasted pepitas, crumbled cotija, and flaky salt. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Grilling (rather than roasting) the sweet potato is essential — the char adds bitterness that balances the natural sweetness and the honey in the dressing.
- This works equally well with roasted butternut squash in autumn/winter.
- For a heartier dish, add grilled chicken breast or halloumi.
- The salad can be assembled 30 minutes ahead, but add the greens and dressing just before serving.
- Bayless uses this flavour profile across his menus at both Frontera Grill and Topolobampo; the chipotle-honey balance is a hallmark of his approach to Mexican cuisine for American palates.
Dressing: Chipotle-Honey-Vinaigrette