Cut the leaves off the beet and place it with the potato in a pan with water and salt and cook until tender. This will take about 20-30 minutes, depending on their size. No need to peel them.

Toast the pine nuts, but spreading them on a baking sheet and place them in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the oven reached its temperature, turn it off and take the nuts out of the oven. If you do this for the first time, please keep an eye on the color of the nuts; every oven has it own settings, temperatures and not the same and heating times may differ.

Cool beet and potato until you can handle them and peel them. Allow them to cool a little further and push them through a potato ricer.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour on your kitchen counter or cutting board and transfer the beet/potatoe mix on top of this. Add a dash of salt and pepper, add the poppy seeds and knead together. Add the rest of the flour and knead into a pliable dough. You may need more flour, depending on the size of the beet and potato. Don't overwork the dough.

Roll the potato dough into a rope of about max. 1/2 inch thick and cut the rope in small pieces. Roll them into gnocchi. You can use a fork to get the traditional ridges, but you can do without as well (as I did). Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bring water and salt to a boil and add the gnocchi to that boiling water. Small number at a time.Cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface. Make sure the water boils gently. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place them on a second baking sheet with parchment paper.

Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium heat and add the bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel and drain. Crumble the bacon.

Transfer the gnocchi to the bacon skillet and bake quickly on high temperature. Just to get a little additional flavor to the potato.

Transfer half the spinach into a bowl, add the gnocchi. Transfer the other half of the spinach to the skillet, while still hot and 'bake' the spinach for just a minute until slightly wilted. Transfer to salad bowl.

Add bacon, cherries and pine nuts. Mix and serve.