Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon and Spiced Pecans

For the salad:
Peel and dice potatoes and put in a pot of cold water with 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring water to a boil. Once water reaches a boil, turn down heat and let water simmer. Cook potatoes until tender. Drain and lay potatoes on a sheet pan. Put potatoes in the refrigerator and let cool.

Cook bacon until crisp. Drain and reserve fat. Let bacon cool to room temperature.

Cook red onion in a little bit of olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Let onion and garlic cool to room temperature. Keep sliced scallions raw.

Take bacon fat and add it to the mayo along with lemon juice, red onion, garlic, and scallions. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Add the mayo mixture to the chilled sweet potatoes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Just before serving, stir in the spiced pecans.

For the spiced pecans:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine spices and maple syrup. Mix until all spices are incorporated. Add pecans and stir to coat.

Place pecans on a parchment-paper-lined sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take them out of the oven and stir. Place them back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Stir them to separate and cool for another 10 minutes.