Today we’re playing “recipe matchmaker.” This lovely autumn salad is actually a combination of a couple of recipes from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook, and while the parts are pretty spectacular, the whole is definitely better. Being the same recipe collection that inspired our Seared Salmon with Bacon, Corn and Cabbage, we felt comfortable—compelled, even—dipping into that well again for more seasonal inspiration. The result is practically a Fall pageant of some of our favorite tastes and textures: Roasted butternut squash, toasted walnuts, crisp bacon, tender baby greens, lovely parmesan and creamy buttermilk dressing. It wouldn’t be out of line to garnish the thing with a sash and tiara. Gorgeous.
The original recipe(s) called for some less conventional ingredients (i.e. hard to find), so there were liberties taken, obviously, but the overall spirit and tone of the dish doesn’t suffer. Then again, neither does your budget. Butternut squash stands in for the Kabocha, parmesan takes the place of the Roncal (which hurt a little, ‘cause we love us some Spanish cheese, but really, Lucques?), and rather than the vinaigrette dressing, which we’re sure would be lovely, we went with a stick-to-your-ribs creamy buttermilk number instead. You’re welcome, because honestly, how many times can you legitimately refer to a salad as “stick-to-your-ribs?”
We were also supposed to toss the butternut squash in olive oil before roasting it, but after crisping the bacon, there was all of that lovely rendered bacon fat just sitting there. How could we resist? Besides, it gave the roasted squash the most alluring smoky note with some caramelized crispy bits on the outside to complement the sweet tender bits on the inside. Heaven.
The dressing was an opportunity to escalate the “comfort food” factor, which is why the buttermilk version from the same cookbook was so enticing. In keeping with the theme of utilizing more accessible ingredients, some tinkering was in order. Rather than fuss over creme fraiche and aioli, we took a more generic—but no less flavorful—route and used plain Greek yogurt and jarred mayonnaise. If you’re up for whisking up a batch of fresh aioli, go for it, you little show off. 🙂 If simplicity is more your bag, the mayo will work just fine. Also, you’ll end up with more dressing than you need, but trust us, no one will be mad about that. It also makes a great dip, btw.
Once you have all of the components ready to go, grab some pretty plates and start building. Toss the baby greens in just enough dressing to coat them lightly, place them on the plate with a few pieces of the roasted squash, top with the reserved crumbled bacon, toasted walnuts and shaved parmesan for the perfect starter, a filling lunch or a light but satisfying dinner. Enjoy!
Cobbled together from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 butternut squash, peeled seeded and sliced into ½-inch thick wedges
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 8 ounces baby kale or other green
- ⅓ cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- ¼ -pound block of Parmesan cheese, peeled with a vegetable peeler
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove bacon and crumble into small piece. Reserve. Reserve the rendered bacon fat and allow to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash in reserved bacon fat and season with black pepper. Place squash on a baking sheet and roast until browned and tender, about 30 minutes, flipping squash halfway through cooking.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, ½ teaspoon sea salt and lemon juice. Let sit 5 minutes. Whisk in yogurt and mayonnaise, then whisk in buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place greens in a large mixing bowl and toss in enough of the buttermilk dressing until the greens are lightly coated (you might have some dressing leftover- no one will complain).
- Arrange the greens and roasted squash on a serving platter (or divide evenly among 4 salad bowls). Top with reserved bacon, walnuts and Parmesan cheese.
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