Roast Sweet Potato, Fresh Cherry and Goat's Cheese Salad with Cranberries, Pecan Nuts and Pickled Red Onion may be a bit of a mouthful, but I promise, you will LOVE this salad!
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6
First make the Quick Pickled Red Onion – dissolve the sugar in the boiling water.
Add the red wine vinegar and the salt and pepper.
Peel and finely slice the onion and place in a bowl or jar.
Drizzle over the pickling liquid, cover and set aside, ideally for a minimum of 30 minutes. (See Recipe Notes.)
Next roast the sweet potatoes and pecan nuts: peel the sweet potatoes and dice into roughly 2cm square cubes.
Toss with the olive oil and salt and paper and scatter over a baking tray. Try and use a tray big enough so the pieces are not touching. If your baking tray tends to stick, line it with baking parchment.
Cook in a pre-heated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and slightly caramelised on the edges.
At the same time, scatter the pecan nuts onto a baking tray and pop in the oven, under the potatoes. Remove after 8 minutes.
Make the salad dressing whilst the sweet potatoes are cooking - peel and crush the garlic and trim and finely slice the spring onion.
Mix with all the remaining ingredients and either stir thoroughly or shake in a jar until emulsified.
Now bring the salad together – halve the cherries and remove the stones.
Using half of all the ingredients, layer the salad:
–rocket
- roast sweet potatoes
- pitted fresh cherries
- dried cranberries
- pickled red onion
- crumble over the goats cheese
- add some pecan nuts
- drizzle over 2 tablespoons dressing
Repeat with the remaining half of the ingredients and add a little more dressing. Serve at room temperature with the additional dressing served alongside.
Delicious served as a meal in its own right, with some fresh bread or as a side at a buffet or barbecue.
Equipment:
Quick Pickled Red Onion:
You will not need to use all the onion in this salad. However it is wonderful in many salads and keeps well, covered, and in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.