--- title: "Two good reasons why Braai Day can be a Salad Day too" description: "Ring the changes with a cheerful innovation on a potato salad, and a couscous salad of delicious simplicity." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "WHAT’S COOKING" author: "Tony Jackman" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/tonyjackman/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-23-two-good-reasons-why-braai-day-can-be-a-salad-day-too/" published: "2026-09-23T10:00:33" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 845 --- # Two good reasons why Braai Day can be a Salad Day too > Ring the changes with a cheerful innovation on a potato salad, and a couscous salad of delicious simplicity. By Tony Jackman · Published 23 September 2026, 12:00 SAST ## Key points - Braai Day doesn’t have to be all meat — Tony Jackman offers two vibrant salad recipes that stand up to the grill: an orange sweet‑potato salad and a bright couscous salad. - Sweet‑potato salad (serves 6–8): diced orange sweet potatoes, diced dried cling peaches, feta, spring onions, torn basil, and a smoky honey‑mustard dressing with pimentón and oregano. - Couscous salad (serves 4–6): sachet couscous, baby fennel, young spinach, black beans, red onion, feta, lime vinaigrette and a scatter of roasted salted peanuts — quick, fresh and easy to assemble. - Tony Jackman — twice Galliova Food Writer of the Year — includes clear cooking tips, make‑ahead suggestions and where to buy his Retro Karoo Food book (plus a Barrydale workshop). Click through for full recipes and step‑by‑step method. ## Content I have a love-hate relationship with sweet potatoes – I love orange sweet potatoes, and dislike the pink variety. I often wonder what to call the orange varieties (there are several), and for some time called them “kara” potatoes, though this is apparently an in-house brand monicker at Woolworths. Some swift investigation reveals that orange sweet potatoes are also known as Beauregard, Garnet and Jewel potatoes. Pink sweet potatoes, by contrast, must answer to the much less enticing names of Boniata or Batata potatoes. In America, they’re called “yams”, which surely is one of the ugliest little words in the English language. For me, there is no contest between orange and pink. I’m an orange sweet potato fan all the way. So, casting around for ideas for a different kind of potato salad, I spotted some orange sweet potatoes and turned three of them into a sweet potato salad. To ensure it would be a lively salad with more surprises for the palate, I added some dried cling peaches, diced very small, feta, and spring onions. **Tony’s orange sweet potato salad with cling peaches and feta** ![Tony Jackman’s orange sweet potato salad. (Photo: Tony Jackman)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/1urK5WfVOOFmcVhlSkmHLdUv-bg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2998/sweet-potato-salad_312134.jpg) *(Serves 6-8 as a side dish)* **Ingredients** 3 orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-cm dice 100 g dried cling peaches, diced small 6 spring onions, sliced thinly 1 round of feta, diced 2 Tbsp torn basil leaves, and a sprig of basil for garnish For the dressing: 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp Maille honey mustard 1 tsp pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika) 1 heaped Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped Salt and black pepper **Method** Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and plunge the diced potato in. Boil at a moderate simmer (not too violent) for about 10 minutes, drain in a colander, and run cold water through. Leave to drain. Dice the dried cling peaches and slice the spring onions thinly. Dice or crumble the feta. Chop the fresh oregano and mix all the dressing ingredients in a large salad bowl. Tip the drained sweet potato dice into the bowl. Add the feta, spring onion and diced cling peaches. Toss gently with two wooden spoons or silicone spatulas. Tear the basil leaves and scatter over. Finish with a jaunty sprig of fresh basil. **Tony’s****couscous salad with baby fennel, spinach and black beans** ![Tony Jackman’s couscous salad. (Photo: Tony Jackman)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/UI9aO1xZKhL8DnO2JLMx_-FpRhQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2998/couscous-salad_640249.jpg) The next evening, I made a very different salad. This was a couscous salad with baby fennel, freshly picked young garden spinach, and black beans. Try to source the kind of couscous that comes in sachets which are plunged into boiling water for a minute and drained, and are then ready for use. The brand I used was Bia – the method works perfectly. This salad has a lime vinaigrette, as well as red onion and, like the other salad, feta. It’s finished with a scattering of roasted, salted peanuts. *(Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish)* **Ingredients** *For the lime vinaigrette:* Juice of 1 lime 3 Tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely 1 Tbsp raw honey 1 tsp Hot English mustard Salt and black pepper to taste *For the couscous salad:* 1 sachet of couscous, prepared according to the package instructions 6 to 8 fresh young spinach leaves, shredded 3 baby fennel bulbs, rinsed, dried and sliced very thinly 1 x 400g can of black beans, drained and rinsed 1 medium red onion, cut in half and then sliced very thinly 1 round or square of feta, diced or crumbled Salt and black pepper to taste A small handful of roasted, salted peanuts **Method** Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions and have it standing by, drained. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jug and let it macerate while you prepare the salad. Pick the younger spinach leaves if you grow it, or use shop-bought young spinach (not baby). Shred it with a sharp knife and put it in a salad bowl. Slice the baby fennel and add. Drain the can of black beans in a colander (or sieve if you only have one colander), run cold water through, and drain. Add the beans to the bowl. Slice the red onion and add, separating the sections of allium. Crumble or dice the feta over the other ingredients. Add all the couscous, and gently toss the contents of the bowl using two wooden spoons or silicone spatulas. Pour the dressing over and toss again. Scatter the peanuts over and your salad is ready. **DM** ![Join Tony Jackman for a cooking workshop in Barrydale. It’s gonna be a lot of fun...](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/-WD2VUqdO5-Q70SWQkQ28eqPQdI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2998/Tony_KarooArt_960723.jpg) *To buy a copy of Tony Jackman’s Retro Karoo Food (Penguin Random House) signed by the author in gold, send an email to him at*[*tony@dailymaverick.co.za*](mailto:tony@dailymaverick.co.za)*. Or buy it through the*[*Daily Maverick shop*](https://shop.dailymaverick.co.za/product/retro-karoo-food-80-nostalgic-south-african-recipes/)*.* *Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.* *Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram*[*@tony\_jackman\_cooks*](https://www.instagram.com/tony_jackman_cooks/)*.*