Simple Supper: Wilted Spinach Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips

The produce department can be a bit bleak in the dead of winter. Yams, parsnips, sweet potatoes, kale, and the like, at first glance, are bit underwhelming. Don't discount them just yet though. True, they don't catch the eye like the beauties found in the summer, but when given a chance winter vegetables can sing just like their summer counterparts.

For ages, sweet potatoes have always fallen at the bottom of my produce list. One too many encounters with gooey sweet potato casserole had this tuber forever black listed in my mind. But, I've found when treated just like an ordinary potato the sweet variety does just fine. Their flavor, ultimately, is rich, buttery, & mild, with just a whisper of sweetness. So, bake them, fry them, drizzle them with olive oil, salt them, but whatever you do, please, don't include marshmallows.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips
1 - 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 parsnips, cubed
1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
3 c. baby spinach leaves
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425F. Peel & cube the sweet potatoes, cube the parsnips, & slice thick onion rings. In a medium baking dish, coat the veggies in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until soft. While the veggies are in the oven, wash some baby spinach leaves and toss in a salad bowl. Once baked through, fold the potatoes, parsnips, and onions in the salad while they are still warm. The warmth from the veggies will wilt the spinach slightly. Top with shaved parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.