Roast the sweet potato: Preheat your oven to 400˚F. Toss the diced sweet potato with olive oil and salt to taste, then transfer to a small baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and fork tender. Stir once or twice to prevent burning.

Cook the bacon: Dice your bacon and add it to a skillet over medium heat. Stir often, cooking until the fat renders and it reaches desired crispiness. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towel.

Make the candied walnuts: Add both sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, cayenne and water to a skillet over medium heat and cook for 1 minute, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling. Add in the walnuts and continue cooking, stirring continuously, until the liquid has evaporated and the nuts start to stick together. Once the sugar starts to crystallize, remove from heat and transfer to parchment paper to cool completely.

Make the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.

Assembly: Add the arugula to a large serving bowl. Top with the roasted sweet potato, chicken, bacon, apple, cheddar, candied walnuts and dried cranberries. Drizzle the dressing on top just before serving and toss to combine.