SPINACH, BACON AND SWEET POTATO SALAD

 SPINACH, BACON AND SWEET POTATO SALAD

This salad is glorious in colour, full-flavored and really filling. Eat it for a whole-meal lunch or serve it as part of dinner.

INGREDIENTS
2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 thick slices of bacon
1 red pepper, cored and chopped
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice from 1 orange
450g fresh spinach

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with two tablespoons of the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast, turning occasionally, until crisp and brown outside and tender inside, about 30 minutes. Remove and keep on the pan until ready to use. While potatoes cook, put bacon in a stainless steel or other non-reactive skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook, turning once or twice, until crisp. Drain on paper towel and pour off fat, leaving darkened bits in the pan. Put back on medium heat; add remaining oil to the pan. When hot, add bell pepper, onion, and ginger to the pan. Cook, stirring once or twice until just softened, about five minutes; stir in cumin and bacon (broken into pieces). Stir in orange juice and turn off heat. (The recipe can be made up to an hour or so ahead to this point. Gently warm dressing again before proceeding.) Put spinach in a bowl large enough to comfortably toss the salad. Add the potatoes and warm dressing. Toss to combine. Serves four.
KILOJOULES PER SERVING: 1172
CARBS: 28G
PROTEIN: 7G
FAT: 16G