Let’s face it: The latest of the late-winter vegetables just aren’t all that appealing. Withered parsnips, saggy sweet potatoes, wan beets.
But that doesn’t mean they should be ignored. Far from it. Because with the introduction of a little heat, a little dressing, and a little tangy feta cheese, these ugly ducklings can be transformed into a simple, elegant and healthful salad.
Here’s a very simple recipe for a deepest winter salad from the new cookbook, “Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights,” by Sophie Dahl, who moonlights as a model and actress.
This salad would be an excellent accompaniment to a roasted lamb loin, which you could roast alongside the vegetables, easily: Take a 1 1/2- pound loin, give it a good rub with a couple pinches of salt and olive oil, roast at 425 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until internal temperature hits 125 for medium-rare (pop it in a few minutes ahead of the vegetables so everything finishes up at the same time). Let it rest about 5 minutes before slicing.
Warm Winter Vegetable Salad
Serves 2.
Ingredients
SALAD
1 red onion
1 sweet potato
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 celeriac root
2 beets
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
A handful of chopped walnuts
A handful of crumbled feta cheese
DRESSING
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
A squeeze of lemon juice (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425. Peel and chop the vegetables into wedges. Put them in a roasting pan, season them with salt and pepper, then give them a healthy shower of olive oil. Cook them for about 30 minutes, turning them a couple of times. Five minutes before they are ready, put the walnuts on a cookie sheet, pop in the oven and toast them.
Pour the vegetables into a dish and sprinkle the feta on top. Make a dressing with the olive oil, parsley, vinegar, mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice if you like. Dress the vegetables and sprinkle the warm toasted walnuts on top.
