Sweet Potato Salad With Bacon

Yes, you read that correctly.  Sweet potatoes.  In a salad.  With bacon.  Because it makes all things better.  I'm rocking pot-luck picnics everywhere, my friends.  Gettin' down with my crazy salad self!

This was an original creation that totally had the potential to be a disaster.  I saw Rachel Ray make a potato salad with a honey Dijon mustard dressing the other day and liked that idea.  Then when googling recipes, I saw one for a hot potato salad that involved beef broth and bacon.  I stopped reading after bacon.  I knew that had to be involved.  And well, if you've been reading long enough, you must realize that I love a sweet potato the way Paula Dean loves a stick of butter.  So the creation was born in my head, translated in a bowl and resulted in total fabulousness.

This is a MUST try.  Not a "you might want to taste it" but a "you MUST MUST MUST make this today" recipe!  Oh and I made this for a large crowd as we celebrated Flag Day.  If you are just feeding 4 or 5, I'd cut it in half.

But like all of my recipes, I write nothing down and just eyeball it.  I know this must be so annoying for type A's out there (ahem, Bestie).  But just use your best judgement.  It is, after all, just a salad. 

This is when I planned to take step by step photos...

Honey Dijon Sweet Potato Salad With Bacon

Ingredients:
* 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed bite size
* 10 radishes, quartered
* 3 stalks of celery, including leaves, chopped
* 4 scallions, white and green, chopped
* 3 slices bacon, cooked crispy, crumbled

Dressing ingredients:
* 1 cup Dijon mustard
* 1/2 cup honey
* 1/3 - 1/2 cup EVOO
* 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
* Cook potatoes until just tender.  Don't overcook or you'll instead have a mashed potato salad.
* Whisk dressing ingredients together while potatoes are cooking.  Be sure to adjust to taste.
* Toss veggies into dressing as they finish getting chopped.
* When potatoes are finished cooking, drain and then return them to the hot pot to dry off for a moment.  Then toss the hot potatoes into the dressing.  Gently toss together.  Chill in the fridge over night or at least a few hours to let the flavors blend together.

And this was taken the NEXT day when I realized the only photo I had was of a dumb peel potato!

OK so seriously...you must make this.  It's so different and tasty.  Sweet and savory all at the same time.