New Year's Day spinach salad with black-eyed peas and hot bacon dressing

Put thick-sliced smoked bacon in a cold saute pan with a little vegetable oil and cook over medium until crisp.

Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl, keeping both the bacon and the fat.

Return the empty pan to medium heat with minced onion, about a teaspoon of bacon fat and a pinch of salt; saute about five minutes until golden brown.

Add garlic and saute one minute without browning.

Add apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, water, sugar and two heaping spoons of Dijon mustard; raise to medium-high and simmer; grind in plenty of black pepper.

Whisk in a slurry of a teaspoon of cornstarch and a couple teaspoons of cold water; it thickens within a minute.

Turn the heat to low and stir in a third of a cup of the bacon drippings, which emulsify into a thick, glossy dressing; add the cooked bacon.

Taste with a spoon and adjust with black pepper, cayenne and salt.

Spoon the hot dressing over baby spinach with black-eyed peas, sliced raw mushrooms and cherry tomatoes; toss quickly and serve.