Roasted Squash Salad with Leafy Greens, Goats Cheese, Honeyed Nuts & Crispy Sage

Takes 1 hour / Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Preheat oven to 180c / gas mark 5 

INGREDIENTS

• 100-150g soft goats cheese 
• 1kg squash (Red kuri, Acorn or butternut, you can also use pumpkin)
• 200g leafy greens (cavolo nero, chard or kale)
• 2 large garlic cloves
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 10-12 sage leaves
• 60g pecans or chosen nut
• 2 tbsp honey (Spring or Autumn)
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt

To serve: Good olive oil, flaked sea salt & freshly ground black pepper 

METHOD

Start by preparing the squash, wash then cut into 1 inch thick wedges, you can leave the skin on, it will soften as it roasts & has lots of flavour. Place into a roasting tin, drizzle with oil & sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 30-35 minutes until tender & starting to crisp.

Whilst the squash is cooking you can prep the greens, chop the stalky ends finely and the leafy ends can be more chunky as these take less time to soften. Finely slice two cloves of garlic and put to the side.

To make the caramelised nuts, place the pecans & honey in a small pan on a low heat. Stir until the honey has coated all the nuts then leave for a couple of minutes to gently bubble. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with flaked sea salt and pour onto a plate to cool.

Then make the crispy sage, place a small pan on a medium heat and coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Add the sage leaves to the pan and sizzle for 2-3 minutes until they turn dark green. Remove the leaves onto a small plate & reserve the sage infused oil for later.

When the squash is ready, start to cook the greens. Add a big glug of oil & the sliced garlic to a pan over a medium heat, then pour in the chopped greens. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes, season with sea salt & black pepper and then squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon.

Now to assemble, pour the reserved sage oil over the cooked squash. Place the greens over the base of a sharing plate, top with pieces of squash, sprinkle over the honeyed nuts & chunks of the goats cheese. Then finish with the crispy sage, a generous grind of black pepper & a drizzle of olive oil. Serve whilst warm alongside other dishes or with chunks of crusty bread. 

Author: @lucyrosettelondon