Roasted Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad

This is a perfect salad for chilly weather. The smell of roasting sweet potatoes sprinkled with thyme, and their rich orange color, is comforting. The hazelnuts and cranberries, the sugar-spice of candied ginger, the crisp apple slices, all appeal to the warming senses. It’s also a hearty salad, despite being meatless. My husband, an avid meat eater, raves about the richness of the sweet potatoes. If you insist on meat, however, try adding sliced chicken or apple sausage, and let me know how it tastes.

A note about candied, or crystallized, ginger: You can find it in the spice section of most supermarkets, but it’s usually very expensive. However, I recommend buying it at Trader Joes, if you have one in the area. I found a bag of it there for a very affordable price, about three dollars, if I’m remember correctly. Really, it’s a steal.

A note about toasting hazelnuts: Place them on a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven. Watch closely. They burn very easily!! Once they are cooled, you can take a paper towel and rub the skin off of them.

And forgive me for the generalness of this recipe. I hate to measure…

Ingredients:

1 large bunch spinach, or 1 pre-washed bag
2 medium sweet potatoes
fresh thyme
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
a handful of candied ginger, diced
1 apple, sliced
olive oil
brown sugar
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Optional: Parmesan or mascarpone cheese

1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into thick wedges or slices, about 6 per potato. Toss with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven, turning once, until done, about 40 minutes.

2. Wash and dry the spinach. Place in a large bowl.

3. Mix about ¼ cup balsamic vinegar with 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar. The amount of sugar you add will depend on how tart you like your dressing, so go by taste. You can also add olive oil, if you like. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss spinach with dressing.

4. To the dressed spinach add the dried cranberries, toasted and chopped hazelnuts, diced candied ginger, and the sliced apple. Top with the roasted sweet potatoes.

5. Add fresh thyme and Parmesan curls, or a dab of mascarpone, for garnish.