Delicata squash is one of my favourite early fall arrivals. Its thin, edible skin makes it blissfully easy to prepare, and roasting concentrates its naturally sweet, slightly nutty flavour while caramelizing the edges. Here, warm crescents of squash are scattered over a mixture of tender greens and spinach with tart dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. A boiled cider and Dijon vinaigrette pulls everything together, adding concentrated apple flavour and just enough sharpness to balance the sweetness of the squash and cranberries. It’s colourful, substantial without being heavy, and very much a salad for that lovely stretch of early autumn when we’re not quite ready to abandon greens but the fall produce is clamouring to join them.
Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Cranberries & Walnuts
Sweet roasted Delicata squash, tart dried cranberries and toasted walnuts top mixed greens in a tangy boiled cider-Dijon vinaigrette. A colourful fall salad that works equally well as a starter or light lunch.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 680 g or 1½ lb Delicata squash (about 2 medium)
- 15 ml or 1 tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 140 g or 5 oz mixed baby greens, including spinach
- 60 g or ½ cup dried cranberries
- 60 g or ½ cup walnut pieces, toasted
For the Boiled Cider-Dijon Vinaigrette
- 30 ml or 2 tbsp boiled cider
- 15 ml or 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 10 ml or 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 75 ml or 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the Salad
- Preheat the oven to 220°C or 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Trim the ends from the squash and cut each in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut the squash crosswise into 12 mm or ½” slices.
- Toss the squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast until tender and lightly browned around the edges, 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway through. Set aside to cool until just warm.
Make the Vinaigrette
- Whisk together the boiled cider, cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Assemble
- Place the greens in a large bowl and toss with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat them.
- Arrange the greens on a serving platter and tuck the warm Delicata squash among them. Scatter with the dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with a little more vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Notes
Boiled cider: I use King Arthur Baking’s Vermont Boiled Cider, a concentrated apple cider with a wonderfully intense sweet-tart flavour. It keeps well in the refrigerator and is enormously useful in fall baking, sauces and salad dressings.
If you don’t have it, or prefer to make your own, reduce 240 ml or 1 cup apple cider over medium heat until you have about 60 ml or ¼ cup; cool before using.
