Roasted Potatoes with Sweet Corn Relish is a summer recipe that is bursting with flavor. Just one bite of this sweet corn relish and you will want to put it on every thing all summer long! The roasted potatoes, grilled onions and relish combine to make a magical gluten-free/vegan lunch or dinner.
This delicious dish is gluten free, vegan, dairy free, sugar-free, clean eating, real food.
Summer has gone by so quickly. With the days seeming to be all the same, it’s hard to even realize which season we are in. If it weren’t for the occasional hurricanes that are only around in summer time, I would think we could be still in spring.
There is something about corn in the hot summer months. Whenever I find some sweet corn I am dreaming about days when we would have a big barbecue and have friends over. So when I happened to come across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I was mesmerized by the sweet corn relish. I have wanted to make a sweet corn relish for a while. I find all of the colors and components so beautiful.
The bright yellow just makes me happy! Deb mentions that the recipe is Bryant Terry’s from a book called Vegetable Kingdom. It is a book I have seen mentioned in posts about what cookbooks to try in the spring. Of course life took a different turn in March and I didn’t buy any cookbooks or get to stop by the library to check it out. I have seen Bryant’s other vegan books at the library. And I checked out one of them a few times. I loved his creativity. So I knew this would be a really good recipe.
Bryant mentions in his book that it’s a traditional recipe eaten in the South and that his grandmother used to make the relish and keep it in larder in the winter. It reminds me of my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law and all of their pickling and canning that they did and still do in Calabria.
And it’s funny because my in-laws live most of the year near Milan, which is in the Lombardy region and it is the corn capital of Italy. I did a little research and they call canned (in a glass jar) corn: mais conservata al naturale or coserva di granturco and they preserve the corn just in its natural way (not as a relish).
Like I do with every recipe, I read it over and over again to figure out what I had on hand to make it. I was only going to make the sweet corn relish, because I didn’t have any new potatoes. My mom had just happened to make smashed new potatoes a couple of days before I had to make this. She actually came across Smitten Kitchen’s recipe and said, “Look, even Smitten Kitchen just made smashed potatoes and look at this interesting corn recipe.” Her potatoes were amazing and sadly, there weren’t any leftover.
What ingredients are in roasted potatoes and sweet corn relish?
I know, the list is long, but you probably already have mostly every thing already in your pantry or fridge:
For the sweet corn relish:
- sweet corn
- tomatoes (plum or cherry)
- red onion
- green bell pepper
- garlic
- unseasoned rice vinegar
- ground mustard
- ground cumin
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- ground turmeric
For the green pea sauce:
- sweet peas (or about 1 cup fresh or frozen)
- fresh lemon
- ground pepper
- jalapeño
For the potatoes and onion:
- potatoes (sweet or white or combo of both)
- onion
- extra-virgin olive-oil
What spices are used in Sweet Corn Relish?
This particular recipe uses cumin seeds, whole mustard seeds and whole black peppercorns. I wanted to use what I had on hand and used ground cumin, ground mustard and ground black pepper. There is also ground turmeric in the recipe. You could play around with what you have and use the spice seeds if you happen to have them. Adjust spice also to your liking.
As for the jalapeño in the relish, I did want to add some, but instead sprinkled some on top after, as I have a kid that can't handle the spice! And this kid LOVES this relish sweet and not spicy.
As for the garlic, the original recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic. I used one. Go ahead and use two, if you like.
What kind of potatoes can I use for this recipe?
I ended up using sweet potatoes and a regular potato that I had on hand. I also happened to have leftover canned corn in the fridge that we had just enjoyed with meatloaf (I’m using up canned things I bought for the first months when we were staying home and not even going to the market).
What kind of peas are used in the recipe?
Typically I don’t buy canned peas. I love them fresh and I also really like frozen. The original recipe calls for slow cooked, caramelized onion rings (sounds incredible) but since I love my grill pan these days so much, I decided to grill the onion rings.
There are various steps to make this recipe and if you have the time, it really is worth the extra effort. You could make the relish even a few days ahead. I also happened to have leftover grilled corn on the cob my brother gave me. This was a great recipe to use up what I had on hand (the leftover grilled corn, the leftover peas, tons of jalapeños ). The original recipe calls for blanching shucked fresh corn from the cob. I have also made the relish like that. But if you happen to have leftover grilled corn, it is perfect for the relish. Just make sure you have 2 cups of the corn off the ears.
How to make roasted potatoes and sweet corn relish?
It all begins with the delightful sweet corn relish. These are the ingredients that I gathered up to make it.
The next step is to make the corn relish. You could make this days ahead and I have even made it the day of. The flavors are truly more vivid when you make the relish ahead of time, but it is still wonderful the day of.
The first step for the relish is to gather together all the ingredients. Once you have all the ingredients together, make the vinegar mixture. I did a combo of rice wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar (it was what I had on hand). The second time I made it was with just rice wine vinegar (both ways were great!).
The next step for the relish, place all the ingredients in your large jar. Then pour the heated up marinade over it. Close the jar and let the magic happen!
The next step is to roast your potatoes. I did use a combo of sweet and white (it was what I had on hand). I have also made it with all sweet potatoes and all white potatoes. It is always just fantastic!
Once you have roasted potatoes and grilled your onion and made your pea sauce (the sauce is optional, but it is really lovely), plate up the potatoes and onions.
The final step after that is to spoon some of that incredible sweet corn relish and a drizzle of the pea sauce (if you're using it).
What to serve with Sweet Corn Relish?
The possibilities are simply endless of what you can do with this delicious condiment. It is fantastic to top on burgers, grilled tuna (or any fish!), grilled chicken breasts (or baked chicken pieces). Another idea is to serve it on whole baked whole potatoes. Or do what I sometimes do and eat it straight out of the jar. Seriously, it is that good!
How much sugar is added to Sweet Corn Relish?
The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of raw cane sugar. Deb used 1 tablespoon. I have seen recipes with even more sugar (and some with a lot of brown sugar). As I was trying to cut out sugar, I didn't add any in. But feel free to use 1 tablespoon and add more if you like it sweeter (if you aren’t following a diet of no sugar).
Of all the components to make this recipe, if you only have time for one thing, try out the sweet corn relish! If you happen to have some potatoes on hand, do try it with the relish. My version of roasting chunks of potatoes does make a faster version of the original recipe. One day I will try it with the smashed potatoes!
Also, I have made it without the pea sauce, and it’s still delicious. The relish gets better with time. Deb mentions the relish could store for up to 1 year and I think I would have to make quite a few jars of this to have it even last a month. I have made this about 4 times in the last couple weeks.
PIN for later:
I made it again yesterday and my daughter came to the kitchen and saw the relish in the jar and said this is one of my new favorite recipes! It’s also one of my new favorite recipes. The sweet corn relish will be used all summer long to add onto grilled chicken, various salads. So much fun for taco night!
After trying this recipe I have got to get this book to explore the rest of Bryant Terry’s recipes. Deb describes it as being vegan with a focus on real ingredients and full of Afro-Asian flavors.
How long will this sweet corn relish stay fresh?
This relish will last for 4-6 weeks refrigerated.
Other summer recipes:
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and source is Bryant Terry's Vegetable Kingdom.
Roasted Potatoes with Sweet Corn Relish
Ingredients
- SWEET CORN RELISH
- 2 cups corn kernels cut from 2-4 ears, depending on how large the corn ears are
- 1/2 cup plum tomatoes cut in small pieces (or 12 ripe cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices)
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 3/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar end cut off
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- GREEN PEA SAUCE
- 1 can of sweet peas or about 1 cup fresh or frozen
- 1 large lemon cut and juiced, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon minced seeded, minced jalapeño
- 1 teaspoon minced seeded, minced jalapeño, for serving
- POTATOES and ONIONS
- potatoes I used 3 sweet and 1 regular, use a all white or all sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1 large onion cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive-oil
- Sweet Corn Relish for serving
- Spring Green Pea Sauce for serving
Instructions
- SWEET CORN RELISH
- If you’re using fresh corn, bring a pot of water to hight heat and boil the corn. Blanch the corn for about a minute and drain in a colander.
- Let the corn cool and slice off the kernels. I had leftover grilled corn on hand and sliced the kernels off the ear.
- Place the corn kernels, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic in a 1-quart jar, or divide between 2 1-pint jars, and set aside. If you blanched fresh corn, in the same pot you used for the corn, combine the vinegar, 1/4 cup water, sugar, mustard and cumin seeds, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook until the vinegar mixture heats up (if you are using sugar, until the sugar dissolved), about 3 minutes. Pour the liquid over the corn mixture and let cool. Refrigerate the relish for at least one day to develop the flavor.
- PEA SAUCE
- In a medium sauce pan, bring 1/2 cup water to boil and then add in the peas (I used canned and drained the liquid). Add in the fresh lemon juice (add more if you like more of a lemon flavor, but I used juice of one large lemon). Add a little salt (I added about 1/2 teaspoon).
- If you are using If you are using fresh peas, blanch them in a quart of boiling water (with lemon juice and salt)for about 3 minutes. If you happen to be using frozen, blanch (with lemon juice and salt) in the quart of boiling water for about 4 minutes.
- If using the canned peas, once it heats up, add them to a blender. Puree until smooth. Add a little more water to thin it out if they’re too thick. (start with tablespoon at a time). If you are using the fresh or frozen peas, drain peas and add them to the blender. Add in 1/4 cup water to puree. Check salt and add a dash more, if needed. The pea sauce should be not too thick and not watery. It should be a consistency that is easy to pour out of the blender. Pour the pea sauce into a small bowl. Taste it and add more salt and lemon juice, if needed.
- POTATOES AND ONIONS
- Heat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with foil paper. Add the potatoes to the sheet. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle on some salt (about one teaspoon). Roast until they are tender and light brown. Should take about 15 minutes. While the potatoes are in oven, cook up the onion.
- Add the remaining olive-oil to the onion slices and stir it together to completely coat. Heat up a large grill pan. If you don’t have a grill pan, you could cook the onion slices with a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil in a frying pan until they’re soft. Add the sliced onion pieces and cook until tender (should take about the time it takes to make the potatoes)and they have grill marks. When onion is ready, season with salt. Set aside on a small plate.
- SERVE
- On a serving dish, place the potatoes. Add onions on top of the potatoes. Spoon on some of the sweet corn relish. Drizzle on some of the pea sauce. Serve the rest of the pea sauce on the side in a small bowl. Sprinkle on some extra chopped jalapeños, if you like it spicy.
- Will last for 4-6 weeks refrigerated.
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