Salads in the winter kind of suck, no? Without the farmer’s markets or our own gardens for fresh pickin’s, we’re left with flavorless tomatoes, blah lettuce and veggies from Chile (have you seen that weird commercial for Jewel-Osco?). So, when I found this recipe for a salad made with sweet potatoes, I got pretty excited. But I had zero idea of what to expect! All I knew was that Ricky B. says it’s “Really delicious, if a little unconventional.”
He uses watercress in the original recipe, but does say it can be replaced with mâche, arugula or sliced romaine. The watercress was looking weak at Harvest Time this week, and they had bags of baby aurugla that looked delicious, so this “riff” was fated. I normally like to treat arugula as an herb, rather than a lettuce, but it really does work well in this recipe. It’s strong flavor is an interesting compliment to the sweetness of the caramelized onions and sweet potatoes as well as to the slightly spicy dressing.
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I’m crazy addicted to Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday. It has taken over my life, or, at least my meals. Living a half-mile from a fantastic Mexican grocery with fresh, authentic ingredients helps. Last night, I tried the Mushroom-Potato Crema with Roasted Poblanos. It’s a creamy soup that’s low on fat and calories. I wish I pulled out the SLR to take photos, but I just snapped a few on my little Panasonic point-and-shoot before sitting down to dinner.
I know that in the photo, the salad looks better than the soup, but the soup was definitely far more interesting. The Yukon golds give it a buttery flavor naturally and while these particular poblanos didn’t quite deliver the rich roasty flavor I was hoping for, I’m sure it had to do with the fact that what I used was definitely in it’s last days. Bayless suggest adding crispy crumbled bacon as a garnish. If I hadn’t had bacon on both Saturday and Sunday, I might have heeded his advice.
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