Cooking Light with Bobby Flay: Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

The "bacon dressing" part was fine with my husband, but the whole "sweet potato" thing had him curling his nose up like a 10-year-old boy. Unless they are covered in brown sugar and marshmallows, Rudy wants absolutely nothin' to do with sweet potatoes. What he soon realized, and I hope you will too, is that sweet potatoes have a lot more potential than to just be smothered in sugar. This recipe for Bobby Flay's Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing is the perfect example of what possibilities lie out there for this super-starch. Here is the side dish that turned two "sweet-tator-haters" into two of their newest fans!


SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH WARM BACON DRESSING
Serves 8


INGREDIENTS
4 pieces center-cut bacon, medium dice1 small red onion, finely sliced3 cloves garlic, finely chopped1/2 cup white wine vinegar1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar4 sweet potatoes; peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes4 green onions, finely sliced1/4 cup chopped fresh parsleysalt and pepperfat free cooking sprayDIRECTIONS


Preheat oven to 400.


Prepare a baking sheet with fat-free cooking spray; spread the sweet potatoes on the sheet. Bake for roughly 25-35 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily cut through with a spoon. Keep warm.


Heat pan over high heat. Add bacon and cook until just crisp. Remove bacon to a towel-lined plate. Pour off all but a tiny trace of the fat. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Remove pan from heat, add vinegar, olive oil, sugar and reserved bacon. Place the potatoes in a large bowl, pour the dressing over and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the green onions and parsley. Serve at room temperature.


RESULTS


"Out of this world"-fantastic! Both my husband and my friend Shawna are not huge fans of sweet potatoes. However, they were "big kids" and gave 'em a try. AND they LOVED them! The point is, even if you don't like sweet potatoes, this recipe is worth a try. Not only are sweet potatoes great in this recipe, but they are soooo flippin' good for you; each loaded with fiber, beta carotene and other antioxidants.


Since this recipe is already pretty nutritious, there wasn't a whole lot to do to lean it up! I just traded in regular bacon for a lean center-cut and reduced the amount the olive oil needed to make the dressing. The taste result is still the same; a delicious side dish that is sure to impress even the biggest sweet potato skeptics.


NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 147.75 calories;  8.0g fat;  17.29g carbohydrate;  2.57g protein;  2.24g fiber

SAVES: 77 calories; 8.14g fat