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2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

1 cup bottled bell pepper relish (see Note above)

1 medium garlic clove, finely minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

¼ cup fruity olive oil

¼ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley (see Tip at left)

1. Boil the sweet potatoes in a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat in just enough lightly salted water to cover for about 10 minutes or until barely tender. Drain well, quick-chill in ice water, then drain well again, and pat dry on paper toweling.

2. Combine the relish, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large nonreactive bowl, then add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking vigorously all the while.

3. Add the sweet potatoes and parsley and toss gently in the dressing. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust as needed, and serve.

BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

I use frozen black-eyed peas in this popular southern salad for three reasons: They’re available year-round, they taste “fresh,” and they do not disintegrate as dried black-eyed peas so often do when cooked. I simmer the frozen peas no more than 15 to 17 minutes because I like them al dente. This also means that I can use less dressing because firmer black-eyed peas don’t “suck it up” the way softer peas do. Note: Don’t rush the browning of the bacon; the fat should render slowly so that the bacon is neither blackened nor bitter. Tip: The easiest way to cut bacon into thin strips is to use kitchen shears and snip straight across the stacked slices.

8 thin slices lean, hickory-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into strips ½ inch wide (see Tip above)

2/3 cup finely diced red onion (about ½ medium-small)

2/3 cup finely diced green bell pepper (about 1 small)

2/3 cup finely diced red bell pepper (about 1 small)

One 16-ounce package frozen black-eyed peas, cooked by package directions (see headnote)

Dressing

3 tablespoons corn oil or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons bacon drippings

2 tablespoons cider vinegar, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1. Brown the bacon slowly in a large, heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally and separating the pieces. This may take as long as 30 minutes, but you can proceed with the salad while the bacon cooks. When all of the fat has rendered out and the bacon is crisp and brown, lift to paper toweling to drain using a slotted spoon. Pour the drippings from the skillet and reserve.

2. Place the onion and bell peppers in a large heatproof bowl and toss well. Drain the cooked black-eyed peas well, then dump at once on top of the vegetable mixture in the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. The heat of the peas wilts the vegetables slightly and mellows their flavors.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Place all ingredients in the skillet in which you browned the bacon, set over moderately high heat, and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the skillet bottom.

4. Pour the boiling dressing over the salad, toss well, and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Taste for vinegar, salt, and pepper and adjust the seasonings as needed.

5. Add the reserved bacon to the salad, toss well, and serve as an accompaniment to chicken prepared any which way—broiled, grilled, fried, roasted. Good, too, with fried fish, especially catfish.

Variation

A Black-Eyed Pea Salad for Today: Prepare as directed but add 1 finely minced large garlic clove to the vegetable mixture in Step 2. In the dressing, substitute 5 tablespoons fine, fruity olive oil for the corn oil and bacon drippings; also use red wine vinegar instead of cider vinegar. Finally, in Step 5, add 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh basil and/or Italian parsley along with the reserved bacon. Toss well and serve.

CORN BREAD SALAD

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

I find this zesty salad perfect for a picnic because it can be made ahead of time, it travels well, it feeds an army, and people