Roasted Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Fig Salad

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

CHEF’S TIP: Only dress the salad just before serving and serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

  • 1 wedge of pumpkin, peeled and cut into thinner slices
  • 1 large sweet potato, unpeeled and cut into thin strips
  • 8 baby potatoes, cut in half (optional)
  • olive oil
  • coarse salt and black pepper
  • 150g (5 oz) soft dried figs, broken into pieces
  • 125ml (½ cup) cashews or pine nuts, toasted
  • 2 avocados, sliced
  • handful of fresh mint, shredded finely
  • 30ml (2 tbs) Italian parsley, chopped finely
  • DRESSING
    • 80ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
    • 80ml (⅓ cup) red wine vinegar
    • 45ml (3 tbs) honey
    • coarse salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
  2. Drizzle the pumpkin, sweet potato and baby potatoes with some olive oil, coarse salt and pepper. Roast them for about 40 minutes, so that they are softened but not too brown.
  3. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool in a single layer without covering them so that they don’t become soggy.
  4. Dot the roasted vegetables with the dried figs, nuts, avocado, mint and parsley. Drizzle with dressing.
  5. Heat the olive oil and vinegar on low heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the honey and whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and set aside till ready to use.