This was very much a figure it out as you go along salad, since I had planned on making a sweet potato salad that I make from time to time with a zesty, citrusy gremolata. When it came time to make the salad this evening, I realized that the lemon I had set aside for this had gone over to the dark side and taken the lime needed with it, so this was very much a last minute fridge content inspired salad. But it worked.
I cooked the sweet potatoes earlier in the day by microwaving them for 5 minutes while I was prepping my morning coffee and then put them in the fridge until needed this evening. This also made them easier to peel when it came time to make the salad.
2 large cooked sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp pickle brine
1/3 cup chopped cornichons
1/4 cup chopped pickled onions (you can often find cornichons bottles that hold both)
1/4 cup finely chopped herb of your choice (I used basil because I just invested in a pot of it for summer cooking but tarragon would have been better if I had had some on hand instead. If making this pre-grocery shop, definitely go the tarragon route.)
2 roughly chopped hard boiled eggs
2 Tbsps mayonnaise (Hellman's is fine)
Enough fermented ramp sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce) to give the salad a real kick
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces.
Stir in the pickle brine and set aside while you chop the rest of your ingredients.
Stir the sweet potatoes to coat the top layer with the brine and then add all of your ingredients except for the mayonnaise. Stir to combine well.
Add the mayonnaise, stir to ensure an even coating for all the ingredients.
Taste the salad to make sure that you have reached your preferred level of spice and there you go. Done. I didn't realize until after dinner that I had not added any salt to the dish and I didn't miss it. The acidity level of this salad (which sweet potatoes really need or they are too sweet and "desserty" tasting) eliminated the need for any form of salinity.
We had these as a side to shrimp rolls but I will be making this again as a side to BBQ or ham.
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