Roasted Sweet Potato Winter Salad

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.” -- David Hume

Personally, I like to find beauty in the hidden niches of nature. Preferably a snippet of creation which requires a macro lens to capture. 

I had been craving a sweet potato for days, as I reached into the potato/sweet potato bin I was happily surprised by this beautiful purple slip. She's currently sitting in an itty bitty cup, with a bit of water. I'm hoping she'll continue to grow and I can harvest some sweet potatoes of my own later this year!! The rest of this beauty was roasted to be added to my winter salad

Roasted Sweet Potatoes for Winter Salad:
Peel and dice 1-2 Sweet Potatoes and place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Gently mixed the potatoes so they are evenly coated. Then add fresh cracked sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, finely diced garlic ( 4 cloves), smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar,and a pinch of dry thyme. Bake at 450F for 15 min then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 15-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked and begin to crisp.

While the sweet potato was roasting I washed, chopped, and filled a bowl with Artisan Lettuce (including Petite Oak, Petite Gem, and Petite Tango). To this I added Spinach and Arugula. (Told you I'm incorporate green in my life...) This was all topped off with fresh avocado, and diced mini bell peppers to add color and contrast.

Dressing:  This one is really complicated, ready??
Seasoned Rice Vinegar + Kikkoman Sweet Soy glaze + Sea salt.

I dressed it very lightly, but thats a personal preference. I'd rather enjoy the different flavors of the greens without having it overpowered by dressing.

Lastly, top the dressed salad with the roasted sweet potatoes and shaved Manchego Cheese.

So good! I chose to serve it with toasted Rye bread and I ended up piling some of the salad ( sans potato) on the toast and eating it as a tartine.... I should have taken a picture.  Another day, another time :)