Like whole roast turkeys and cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes are typically relegated to once-a-year status on the Thanksgiving table. But the nutrient-packed root vegetable needn’t always meet a baby-food-soft, marshmallow-congealed fate. Try it the way Inside chef Charleen Badman suggests, roasted with thyme, tossed in a salad with peppery greens, toasted walnuts, and pomegranates, and dressed with an elegant champagne vinaigrette. You may never go back to the mushy stuff again. --Robin Raisfeld

Ingredients

For Salad
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 handfuls arugula
2 handfuls frisée
1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

For Dressing
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

(1) Wash and peel sweet potatoes and cut into one-inch pieces. (2) Toss with thyme and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for twenty minutes or until light brown and soft when pierced with a fork. To prepare dressing, soak shallots and a pinch of salt in champagne vinegar for five minutes. (3) Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season to taste. After potatoes have roasted, they may be combined warm or cold with greens, walnuts, and dressing. Season and garnish with pomegranate seeds. (Published 2005)