We have a saying in my family: “Don’t get good at something, or it’ll become your job.”
Apparently, I got a little too good at this harvest salad.
Now it’s my assigned contribution for family gatherings—even Thanksgiving. I don’t mind. It’s hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but it also brings a little green to the table, which somehow makes that second piece of cake later feel perfectly reasonable.
And, it’s easy.
Roasted sweet potatoes, crisp apples, creamy Brie, smoky bacon, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and Fuji apple vinaigrette come together in the best possible way. Every bite has a little bit of everything, and by the end, someone’s scraping the bottom of the bowl.
This one is for the meals that become a memory.
I hope it finds its way to your table, too.
Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz) package spring mix, 50/50 blend, or baby romaine
- ½ lb bacon
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 large apple, cubed
- 4–5 oz Brie, cubed
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pecans
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Panera Fuji Apple Vinaigrette, for serving
Directions
1. Make the candied pecans.
Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes. Add butter and brown sugar, stirring until melted and bubbly. Spread onto parchment paper, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cool completely before breaking into pieces.
2. Bake the bacon.
Arrange bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and chop once cooled.
3. Roast the sweet potatoes.
Toss diced sweet potatoes in the reserved bacon drippings on the baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Roast at 400°F for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized. Let cool slightly.
4. Assemble the salad.
In a large bowl, combine the greens, roasted sweet potatoes, apples, Brie, dried cranberries, bacon, and candied pecans.
5. Serve.
Toss with Fuji Apple Vinaigrette just before serving.
Enjoy,
—Poplar & Prose
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