After the Renaissance Festival (shamelessly love it, go every year), my friend Gloria invited us back to her house for pumpking carving, also our yearly tradition, and fed us a delicious dinner including a salad with roasted grapes. I was fascinated by these grapes, as I often am with food I’ve eaten since childhood treated a different way, and wanted to try them myself (I roast everything else in the world, might as well try this). So here’s my version of Gloria’s yummy salad, which has a decidedly fall feel.
Roasted Grape and Sweet Potato Salad
For the vinaigrette
The “Original” red wine vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp dry English mustard
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1 cup olive oil
Shake everything together in a Mason jar.
For the salad
- 1 lb grapes
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 3 slices dark pumpernickel bread, cubed
- olive oil
- sea salt & pepper
- 10 oz or so baby spinach
- 5 oz queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 shallot, sliced, and soaked in red wine vinegar, pinch of sugar and salt for 30 minutes
- couple handful pumpkin seeds
Heat oven to 400°. On three separate baking dishes, toss grapes, sweet potatoes, and pumpernickel cubes with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread in a single layer. Roast, turning occasionally. Bread croutons will only take 10 minutes or so until crispy, grapes and sweet potatoes will take 25-35 minutes. Remove and cool.
Toss together spinach, grapes, sweet potato, and pumpernickel croutons with just enough vinaigrette to coat, then sprinkle with cheese, pickled shallot and pumpkin seeds. Serve with optional extra vinaigrette on the side.
I’m trying to put some pictures of my stinky cute kids at the Ren Fest but will figure that out later…