Roasted Sweet Potato, Spinach and Peppered Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries.

This is the perfect Fall salad and it would be great for a Thanksgiving menu. We will definite;y make this for the Holidays this year.
It's never too early to start preparing your Holiday menu.
I saw this salad on an episode of P. Allen Smith.
I've adapted it a bit without changing the integrity of the original recipe.

Let's start with the Vinaigrette ingredients:

1 Shallot, peeled
3 TBS of Creole or French Grainy Mustard
1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 TBS Brown Sugar
3/4 C Olive Oil

Peppered Pecans ingredients:

Vegetable Cooking Spray
2 TBS Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 TBS Brown Sugar
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 Egg Whites
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce ( I use a vegetarian version)
1 Pound of Pecan Halves

Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces.
2 TBS Olive Oil

Spinach and Cranberries:

8 C Baby Spinach Leaves
1 C Dried Cranberries


Prepare the Pecans:
Spray a roasting pan or sheet pan with a vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl:
Black Pepper
Salt
Sugar
Whisk well.

In a large mixing bowl:
Whisk Egg Whites well.
Add Worcestershire Sauce.
Mix well.
Add Pecans and fold by hand to coat well.
Pour this mixture into a colander to remove some of the excess Egg White.
Return to the bowl and add the Pepper mixture.
Fold well to coat the Pecans.
Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan and roast at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
Stir them and return to roast an additional 5 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl:
Toss the Sweet Potatoes with a some Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes.

Prepare the Vinaigrette: in a Blender:
Shallot and pulse to chop.
Add:
Mustard
Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Salt
Sugar.
Blend on medium speed, scraping if necessary.
Slowly drizzle in the Oil.
Transfer to a small bowl.
Set aside.

In a large Serving Bowl:
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Pecans
Cranberries
Fold in the Vinaigrette.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!