hot grilled sweet potato with watercress salsa

Watercress is a favorite ingredient of mine, because of its peppery flavor and crunchy texture. Also, each leaf is packed with vitamins and minerals. I think it is underused and underrated in our cooking today—arugula seems to appear far more often on restaurant menus. Watercress adds color, texture and a spicy kick to this crispy salsa, as it does to other cold dishes. It is also great in hot dishes, especially stir-fries.

• Put the tomatoes in a bowl, and cover with boiling water.
• After 20 seconds in the boiling water, plunge them straight into cold water. Drain, skin and chop the tomatoes.
• Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and dice the flesh. Mix the cucumber with the tomatoes and watercress and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Put the 3 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice and chili pepper into a screw-top jar, and shake well to blend the ingredients. Drizzle this dressing over the salsa. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until needed.
• Gently scrub the potatoes to clean them. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the potatoes and simmer for about 20 minutes, until tender. To test, stick the point of a sharp knife into a potato—it should just go through the middle. Drain, and let cool.
• Cut the potatoes into 1” slices. Brush a little olive oil on both sides of each slice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan or heavy frying pan until hot, and cook the potato slices for 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
• Divide the potatoes among four warm bowls, top with the crispy watercress salsa and serve.