Thursday, December 6, 2012

Winter Salad with Roasted Squash, Potatoes, & Pomegranate Seeds over Arugula




Summer is not the only time to enjoy salads. Take for instance this winter salad with roasted squash and potatoes, garnished with feta cheese and pomegranate seeds. I think it looks very “holiday-ish” – the feta cheese resembling fallen snow, the pomegranate seeds bright red jewels, the roasted squash and potatoes golden gifts, and the arugula green tree branches.

You might recognize this salad. It’s all over Pinterest, although that’s not where I originally saw it. I first discovered it on Eat Boutique, a fantastic blog and an inspiration of diverse food ideas. Eat Boutique showed some of their favorite cold weather salads and this was one of them. The salad came from The Year in Food where they adapted it from Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food. Pop over and see their incredible photos of the salad here and you’ll know why everyone loved it on Pinterest. They used delicata squash, which I could not find, so I substituted acorn squash.



It is a superb salad in every respect. First, it’s pretty. But more importantly, it is full of flavor. I had never eaten pomegranate seeds. Frankly they looked like too much work to me, opening the pomegranate, getting the juices all over me and making a mess in the process. But I happened upon a jar of pomegranate seeds at Walmart of all places and was very pleased.  The pomegranate seeds make this salad. They have a fruity crunch that I had not imagined. I thought the saltiness in the feta and the rich peppery taste of in the arugula were a nice contrast to the slight sweetness of the squash and crispy roasted potatoes always make anything better. This is one of the best winter salads I’ve ever eaten. Highly, highly recommended.

So on the day when you’ve had your fill of Christmas cookies or office parties, treat yourself to a nice healthy winter salad. This would also make a great meatless Monday dish.



Winter Salad with Roasted Squash, Potatoes, & Pomegranate Seeds
Adapted slightly From The Year in Food – serves 4 to 6

1.5 pounds small to medium potatoes (the recipe calls for fingerlings)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium acorn squash, or delicata squash if you can find it
8 ounces baby arugula, also known as rocket or roquette
Seeds from one pomegranate, about 1 cup
1 cup crumbled feta or top quality Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice potatoes lengthwise in halves or quarters depending on size. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Toss to coat. Roast until tender and browned, about 20-25 minutes, turning once.

While the potatoes roast, prepare the squash. Peel the squash, then slice in half lengthwise, and remove seeds and membrane. Slice into thin half moons, 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Arrange on another rimmed baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets for the squash), drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat.

Remove potatoes from the oven and set aside. Add the squash to the oven, sprinkle with some salt, and roast until tender and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Prepare the vinaigrette. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, add all of the ingredients and shake to combine.

In a large salad bowl, combine the squash and the potatoes. Drizzle with about half the vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Add the arugula, half the pomegranate seeds and half of the cheese. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette if needed. (I did not use all of it.) Top with the remaining cheese and pomegranate seeds. Serve.




This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farms, Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday at Simple Recipes, Foodtastic Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes, and On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable.

Have a great weekend everyone.

42 comments:

  1. Gorgeous salad! Pomegranate seeds in a jar??!! Really! That opens up a whole world of recipes that I've been wanting to try!

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  2. Art on the table! I have found the pomegranate seeds at Costco but not recently.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. A beautiful salad! So colorful and appealing. Yummy.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. This does look perfect for the winter. Love the colors.

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  5. I enjoy these types of salad very much..thanks for adding a recipe to my humble repertoire:)

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  6. Your not going to share this gorgeous salad on Foodie Friday at Simple Living and Eating?
    My daughter loves Pomegranate but is not a big fan of salad, maybe I can get her to eat this.

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  7. Sam, this is so beautifully presented! You have combined all my favourite ingredients in this one single salad. YUM!

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  8. Would you believe I just bought my first pomegranate!! I love the color they add to salads (like this gorgeous one) and hors d'oeuvres trays. (I had to watch you tube to learn how to seed a pomegranate!)

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  9. This sounds wonderful. A friend of mine makes a salad with pomegranate seeds and arugula that I absolutely love. I love how colorful this salad is - it looks like it would be at home on any holiday table.

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  10. eye appealing salad...so colorful ..yum!

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  11. Dear Sam,

    What a beautiful, seasonal & tasty salad this surely is! It looks just so appetizing too! MMMMMMMMM8

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  12. That sounds just perfect to me. You have a great weekend as well. Diane

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  13. All the colours of Christmas and a special dressing make this salad so special.

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  14. Are you actually suggesting that I use a modicum of restraint and eat healthy during the holidays? Pfft! ;) :)

    Your presentation here is absolutely gorgeous, stunning, Sam. The arrangement, color and depth are all well planned.

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  15. It is a beautiful salad! I love every ingredient in it. I'm glad you posted it because I missed it on Pinterest :)

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  16. You take the prettiest pictures!!! All your food looks so tasty!

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  17. Beautiful Sam. I know we would love this salad.

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  18. Sam, this is just gorgeous and sounds delicious. How do you do it? Come up with these amazing recipes. Mr. Magpie and I would just love this. I am a salad girl!

    XO,

    Sheila

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  19. This sounds like a delicious salad and the presentation is top! I also liked all your mayonnaises. I remember on Sundays when my grandparents would come for lunch (long long lunches) I had to make the mayonnaise – slowly, with a wooden spoon, to go with the cold fish appetizer – I did not like to make it. Now I don’t know if I should make mayonnaise with my elevated cholesterol. But they sure look good.

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  20. I just drool with envy at your presentation skills and another unique salad from the Queen - festive is a perfect description.

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  21. Hi Sam, thank you for your visit! I do appreciate it. Your salad looks divine and your photos are always so clear, bright and beautiful.

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  22. Sam, this one stunning salad! Look at those colors, flavors and textures. Beautiful.

    Velva

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  23. Looks wonderful Sam. Pomegranates are one of my favorite winter fruits. I love the arils on my morning yogurt and in salads they are wonderful. You're right, to me the are like the "jewels" of winter cuisine!

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  24. Sam, this looks amazing! I know my husband would enjoy this! We love pomegranates! So nice to be able to scoop them out of a container that out of the fruit, a lot cleaner too!

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  25. ooh, that looks so refreshing. Your pics are wonderful too, as always.. thanks for sharing.

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  26. Lovely and colorful salad! I really love winter salads (I think more that spring/summer salads). Plus, pomegranate is one of my favorite things to add to them.

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  27. Just as I enjoy soup in the summer, I'm all over salads in the winter. I'm pinning this one. As always nice photography.

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  28. Nobody makes a more beautiful salad than you do, Sam. The potatoes and squash add some heartiness to it and the flavor combinations are mouthwatering. I quickly get tired of heavy holiday meals and this will be a welcome treat.

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  29. This is a stunning salad! I adore the addition of pomegranates, they look like delicate ruby gems! Delicious and festive!

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  30. Oh Sam, What a beautiful salad!!!!! I bet it is delicious too. Merry Christmas. Mona

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  31. So Christmassy! Wonderful! And I bet it's delicious.

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  32. Love this presentation; what a perfect salad to serve holiday time. Pomegranates are like jewels on your plate.
    Rita

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  33. Hi Sam,
    What a lovely winter salad. I love you combination of flavor with that splash of pomegranate. This is a great presentation for this entertaining season.

    Hope you have a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  34. i have never thought about putting pomegranate seeds on my salad but i love the crunch and flavor of them so I can see why they would be wonderful addition

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  35. Not only does this sound delicious, it looks fantastic with all the brilliant colors. And pomegranates would make it great!

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  36. More and more, salads are becoming my meal of choice, and the winter offers so many options for great salad combinations. I love the way you described the holiday colors of this salad. Merry, Merry, Sam!

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  37. Yum, yum and yum -pinned- I have to make this salad, it's a beauty;-)

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  38. Sam- Your food gets prettier and prettier everyday! This really does look like a very festive Christmas salad. I'm so fond of all the flavors and I can never resist those gorgeous pomegranate arils. They are like edible jewels.

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  39. This looks like such a pretty salad, Sam, and the flavor combination sounds fantastic! I'm not a big fan of pomegranate seeds but I would probably like them with the feta cheese.

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  40. You are so right! We tend to eat heavy, rich food in the winter and I often crave something fresh and light. This salad would be perfect! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  41. This salad is so beautiful Sam! I love how you described what each ingredient represents for the holidays! We tossed pomegranate seeds into a fresh fruit salad for Christmas last year and it was a huge hit. It's amazing what those little red seeds do to amp up the flavor. I also think that I am going to nominate and elect you as the queen of beautiful and healthy salad!

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