This colorful vegetable dish is the perfect fall accompaniment for duck or lamb. We served it up with grilled duck breasts on my birthday. No leftovers. Always a good sign!
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
3 slices bacon
2 large sweet potatoes
1 large bunch fresh spinach
1/2 c pecan halves
1/4 c maple syrup
2 T water
Preheat oven to 300o. Place sweet potatoes on upper rack and allow to bake while preparing pecans and bacon. Gently pull spinach leaves from stems. Wash thoroughly and let drain.
Combine pecans, maple syrup and water in a small bowl. Let soak for 15 minutes.
Brush baking sheet with vegetable oil. Spread nuts on baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes until nuts start to brown and are slightly crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Chop coarsely.
While pecans and sweet potatoes are baking, fry the bacon until crisp and golden brown. Let bacon cool, then crumble. Strain bacon grease and reserve one tablespoon.
Remove sweet potatoes from oven at 30 minutes. They should be barely soft to the touch, slightly undercooked. Let cool, then peel and dice into 1/2" cubes.
Heat one tablespoon of strained bacon grease in large sauce pan. Add spinach. Stir until just wilted. Add in sweet potatoes. Toss gently and cook 5-10 minutes. Just before serving, mix in crumbled bacon and mapled pecans.
OK, the fat content is a little high but check out the fiber and vitamin A!
Per-serving Nutritional Profile:
Calories, 240
Fat, 16 g
Saturated Fat, 3 g
Cholesterol, 10 mg
Carbs, 21 g
Dietary Fiber, 5 g
Protein, 7 g
Sodium, 250 mg
Vitamin A, 350% Daily Value
Vitamin C, 45% Daily Value
Calcium, 10% Daily Value
Iron, 15% Daily Value
