North Carolina Glazed Sweet Potato Cabbage Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

1 medium-size sweetpotato
Salt and pepper
1 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced crosswise, core discarded
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove, garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound roasted chicken breast, shredded
2 sliced bacon, cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Sprinkle sweetpotato with salt and pepper; wrap in foil. Roast in center of oven at 375° F, 45 minutes or until tender; cool. In a bowl, toss cabbage with vinegar and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Peel and slice cooked sweetpotato into rounds; sauté with butter and honey until glazed; set aside. Heat oil in large pan; add cabbage. Toss 30 seconds. Add shredded chicken, bacon pieces and sweetpotato; toss for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup Hot Bacon Dressing and toss. Serve immediately on warm plates. Sprinkle each salad with blue cheese and parsley.

Hot Bacon Dressing
1 slice bacon
2 tablespoons diced celery
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon whole-train mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp; remove and set aside. To skillet, add celery and onion. Cook for two minutes on medium heat until tender. Add red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and whole-grain mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in 1 cup olive oil, blending to make an emulsion. Curable bacon and add to dressing.
Makes 6 servings.

Tom Condron is the executive chef of both the Mimosa Grill and Upstream restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina.