In the past there wasn’t much about a making a salad that excited me. I always followed the basic midwestern formula of a tiny bit of greens, even less veggies, fistfuls of cheese, mostly croutons and a crap-ton of ranch dressing. Don’t get me wrong, while Hidden Valley soup is delicious, it becomes tiresome after a while. Much like having to see Lena Dunham’s orangutan titties on ‘Girls‘ EVERY Sunday.
In an effort to branch out and try to class it up a bit, we came up with this recipe. This salad carries a bit more heft and could even stand as a main dish by topping it with some seared flank steak, grilled chicken, or just by washing it down with a gargantuan tumbler of cabernet. We find that last trick to make just about anything into a ‘main course.’ Even just a handful of Rolos.
- 2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1½ cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup shallots, sliced
- 1 cup parsnips, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
- 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound assorted salad greens*, washed and chopped
- cider vinaigrette (recipe below)
*We used sweet gem, tango and oak lettuces.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes, carrots, parsnips and shallots in a large bowl. In a smaller separate bowl whisk together olive oil, maple syrup, vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss in with vegetables.
Spread vegetables onto a large baking sheet in a single layer and roast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until beginning to brown on the edges and are tender. Allow to cool slightly then toss well with greens, chives, goat cheese and cider vinaigrette. Season slightly with fresh ground black pepper after plating.
cider vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Whisk all ingredients together and serve over greens.