This Recipe for Purple Potatoes With Creamy Tahini Sauce Is a Treasure Trove of Longevity-Boosting Antioxidants

On the latest episode of Well+Good’s #WorkFromHomeLunch series, Brooklyn-based chef and media personality Elena Besser shows how to make a protein-packed, one-pot purple potatoes recipe (plus a creamy tahini sauce to drizzle on top) that’s sure to blow your spuds, err, socks off.

The health benefits of purple potatoes abound

While picking a preferred spud may feel like choosing a favorite child (read: impossible), it’s dissimilar in that you really can’t go wrong no matter which you choose. Today, we’re shining a light on purple potatoes, which have uniquely high antioxidant levels to help keep inflammation at bay.

According to Blue Zones founder and longevity expert Dan Buettner, purple potatoes are one of the top ingredients he recommends for boosting longevity, highlighting his research sourced from healthy aging hotspot Okinawa, Japan, where purple potatoes are a staple food in many local diets.

It’s no secret that purple potatoes pack a lot of nutrition in one small serving. Buettner tells Well+Good that purple sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, which tend to supersede simple carbohydrates in terms of several nutrition markers, such as gut-healthy fiber content. Additionally, they contain plant-based protein, and and array of important vitamins and minerals—especially vitamin C, potassium, and other key electrolytes. But the real standout is purple potatoes’ high antioxidant levels. “Purple potatoes contain three times more antioxidants [anthocyanins] than blueberries and they have three times more vitamin C than regular sweet potatoes,” Buettner says. Most importantly, they’re delicious: Think creamy, nutty-earthy-slightly-sweet perfection.

“Purple potatoes contain three times more antioxidants [anthocyanins] than blueberries and they have three times more vitamin C than regular sweet potatoes.”
—Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder

Tahini, the other star ingredient in this recipe, also needs a well-deserved shoutout for flavor and health perks. Topline facts: Sesame seeds (the base ingredient in tahini) are packed with hearty-healthy oils that have been linked to lower risk of heart disease. They also contain key antioxidants and micronutrients (like vitamin E and zinc) that help reduce inflammation, too.

Best part of this purple potato recipe: It requires minimal hands-on time to make. The longest part will be bringing a pot of hot water to a boil. From there, you’ll simply cook your delicious purple potatoes to fork-tender perfection, while simultaneously making perfectly jammy hard-boiled eggs (in the same pot!). Finally, to bring it all together, you’ll layer your high-protein potato and eggs with some quick-pickled onions, leafy herbs, and a sweet and tangy tahini sauce. Ding-ding.

Purple potatoes recipe with creamy tahini sauce

Yields 2-3 servings

Ingredients 

1 to 1 1/2-pound bag, creamer potatoes (preferably purple)
3 large eggs
1 small red onion, halved, peeled, and thinly sliced
1 Tsp maple syrup, divided
1/2 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, white wine, etc.)
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup parsley, leaves and tender stems
Extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cups tahini
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Add the purple potatoes to a pot. Fill it with cold water and add a quarter cup of kosher salt. Bring it to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Lower the eggs into the simmering water and cook for seven minutes, transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process, peel, and set them aside. When the potatoes are cooked, drain, and set them aside.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the quick-pickled onions. In a mason jar combine vinegar, two teaspoons kosher salt, a half a teaspoon maple syrup and one cup warm water. Seal and shake to combine. Add onions, seal, and shake to combine again. Set it aside.
4. In a food processor or blender combine garlic, the juice and zest of one lemon, parsley, a half a cup of cold water, one tablespoon of olive oil, one half teaspoon of maple syrup, and one half teaspoon kosher salt. Blend it until smooth. Then, add in the tahini and blend again. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
5. Toss potatoes in a bowl with olive oil and season with flaky salt.
6. To plate, spread the tahini sauce on the bottom of a plate, top it with potatoes, and halved soft-boiled eggs, top it with pickled onions, drizzle with olive oil and top it with flaky salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!