Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with Maple Walnuts and Bacon

This Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with Maple-Glazed Walnuts, Pomegranate and Bacon makes a nutritious lunch or a festive salad for a holiday dinner.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 small sweet potatoes
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 2 cups chopped romaine, (or finely chopped kale )
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1.5 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
• 2 slices bacon (nitrate-free, cooked and crumbled)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper (to taste)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Combine all ingredients for Honey-Dijon Dressing in a small jar. Set aside to allow flavours to blend.
2. 2Preheat oven to 400°F. When hot, place a baking tray in the oven to heat. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into rounds 1/2 inch thick. If potatoes are large, slice into half circles or even quarter circles. In a medium bowl, toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Remove the hot tray from the oven using oven mitts and arrange the sweet potatoes so they don't touch each other. Return the baking sheet to the oven. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until tender, turning over half way through roasting time. For crispy edges, place under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes, watching carefully.
3. 3Cook two strips of bacon in a skillet, or bake them in the oven alongside the sweet potatoes. When almost crisp, remove from oven and drain on paper towels.
4. 4Toast walnuts in a small skillet for 4 - 5 minutes, just until they become fragrant. Toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons pure maple syrup. Let cool on a sheet of parchment paper and break apart when cool.
5. 5Wash and dry spinach and chopped romaine. Arrange in bowls or on a serving platter, topping with maple-glazed walnuts, pomegranate arils, roasted sweet potatoes and crumbled bacon bits. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.