Prosciutto, Sweet Potato, and Arugula Salad

I’m not a huge fan of traditional salad. It’s good at first–very green and crunchy. But then 5 minutes later, when I’m still chewing my first bite of lettuce, I think, this sucks–can I just throw out the lettuce and eat the toppings? Instead, I soldier on and chew raw greens for the next half hour until I feel like I’ve really accomplished something. Then I go and get some “real food.”

This brings me to the stroke of inspiration that hit me the last time I had a great meal at a restaurant with the dreaded side house “salad.” The one that comes with two grape tomatoes, two cucumber slices, and half a pound of cheddar cheese. (Has anyone ever had a good house salad?) As I dutifully scraped off all the toppings and forked the anemic lettuce into my mouth, I thought, why don’t they just serve the hot meal on a bed of greens? That way they can save money on these pathetic toppings and still pretend to be healthy by serving everything on a bed of lettuce!

Then I dumped my hot meal onto my bed of lettuce, and the rest is…well, the rest is this recipe.

You’re gonna cook up some sweet potatoes and then dump ’em on your salad along with some other amazing toppings, like prosciutto di Parma, real Swiss cheese, fresh tarragon, and a spicy Dijon dressing. It’s so delicious and unsalad-like, you’ll ask where the salad is the next time a waiter brings one to the table, because it’ll look like a garnishment for the better salad you now know exists.

PREP TIME 20 MINUTES     TOTAL TIME 20 MINUTES     SERVES 4

Ingredients for Salad

• 1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 5 ounces baby arugula
• 2 ounces prosciutto di parma, shredded
• 2 ounces real Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves
• 1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano, shredded

Instructions for Salad

1. PLACE the sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil.
2. ADD 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, run under cold water, and dice thinner.
3. MEANWHILE, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
4. DIVIDE the arugula among 4 bowls. Top with prosciutto, Swiss cheese, tarragon, and sweet potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano.

Easy, right? This recipe is part of my Weeknight Meal Planner, and was voted a fan favorite. To get 5 dinner recipes a week in your inbox like this one, click the box below!