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Regional, seasonal food with original recipes by Susan S. Bradley

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Home/Autumn Leaves/Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

This fall salad has a lot going for it: contrasting flavors, textures, and temperatures; an array of fall colors; and dynamite taste.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette | LunaCafe

We are in love with full-meal salads in the OtherWorldly Kitchen, and I scramble every week to come up with a couple of new and memorable offerings. However, it’s challenging to make a dinner salad  if seafood, poultry, or meat is not included.

Enter the indispensible log of mild goat cheese. It’s always on hand in my kitchen, because it lends itself to so many dishes. I wouldn’t want to be without it.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette | LunaCafe

Luckily, the Northwest is home to some of the best goat cheese makers in the country (or the world for that matter). Some of these are highlighted at the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project and in the informative book, Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest by Tami Parr. For this salad I used one of the Rivers Edge chèvres, Up In Smoke, which is a fresh chèvre wrapped in maple leaves, spritzed with bourbon, and then lightly smoked. The flavor is lush and evocative.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette | LunaCafe

I’m not sure what made me include potatoes in this salad, other that they look so appealing this time of year, freshly dug, in the farmers markets. Or maybe it was to ensure that MauiJim wouldn’t be raiding the frig an hour after eating dinner.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette | LunaCafe

Regardless, the combination of roasted potatoes, butternut squash, and sweet pimiento pepper is sensational with fresh rosemary, salad greens, Candied Spiced Walnuts or Pecans  and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. It’s almost a bonus that the salad is also beautiful.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette | LunaCafe

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad with Warm Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

One of my new favorites, this fall salad has a lot going for it: contrasting flavors, textures, and temperatures; an array of fall colors; and dynamite taste.

Vegetables
1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, and cut into 4-8 wedges, depending on size of potatoes
¼ butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cut into wedges about the same size as the potatoes
1 sweet pimento pepper or red bell pepper, cored, seeded, ribbed, and cut into wedges about the same size as the potatoes
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, peeled, and minced or pressed
2 tablespoons cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Goat Cheese
two 1-inch thick slices of fresh, mild goat cheese from a 2-inch diameter log
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs or panko
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

Salad
2 large handfuls of baby salad greens

Garnish
½ cup
Candied Spiced Walnuts or Pecans, coarsely chopped
2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

  1. To prepare the vegetables for roasting, in a large bowl toss together the potatoes, squash, pepper, rosemary, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper.
  2. Arrange vegetables evenly on an edged baking sheet. They should not be overlapping.
  3. Roast at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let cool. This step can be completed a few hours ahead, in which case refrigerate the vegetables and bring back to room temperature before serving.
  4. Prepare the vinaigrette (below) and refrigerate.
  5. To prepare the goat cheese, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, bread crumbs, salt.
  6. Just before serving, coat each slice of goat cheese in the flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet and sauté the goat cheese rounds for about 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and warmed through.
  7. While the goat cheese rounds are cooking, in a large mixing bowl, toss the salad greens with enough of the vinaigrette to coat each leaf. (You will have vinaigrette left over for a couple more salads later.)
  8. Remove the goat cheese rounds from the sauté pan and pat lightly with paper towels to remove any excess oil.
  9. Arrange the warm goat cheese in the middle of 2 large pasta plates, and then arrange the dressed greens around them.
  10. Quickly toss the vegetables with a little of the vinaigrette and tuck them into the greens in each of the salads.
  11. Top each salad with Candied Spiced Walnuts or Pecans, freshly ground black pepper, and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
  12. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 dinner-size salads.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I almost always have this lovely vinaigrette on hand in the fall. It complements fall’s abundance of apples, pears, winter squash, toasted nuts, and baby greens and winter greens alike. For an even more pronounced apple flavor, use apple syrup rather than honey. Make a double batch if you like. It keeps for days in the frig.

9 tablespoons cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons natural process apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey or
Lopez Island Farm Apple Syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, peeled, and minced or pressed
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  1. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic and salt until emulsified.
  2. Taste and balance sweetness (honey), acidity (vinegar), and salt.
  3. Pour vinaigrette into a squeeze bottle, cap, and refrigerate.  

Makes about 1 cup.

Copyright 2009 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.

Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
September 16, 2015

Categories: Autumn Leaves, Salads, Winter SquashTags: Autumn Leaves, butternut squash, chevre, Fall, goat cheese, Northwest, Potatoes | Sweet Potatoes, red bell peppers, roasted vegetables, salad

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joanie

    September 18, 2015 at 4:04 am

    The heated goat cheese sounds amazing – I’ve never prepared it this way. Roasted vegetables in a salad is a wonderful idea, all the flavors appear to come together perfectly. Pinned!

  2. Neli

    September 17, 2015 at 6:21 pm

    I love roasted vegetables in the Fall and these look so appetizing! I will have to try them with goat cheese and this honey mustard vinaigrette! Looks fantastic!

  3. Sam

    September 17, 2015 at 9:42 am

    Ok this warm goat cheese.. legit!! I can’t get enough of the fall squash, it’s pretty much one of my favorite times of year!! Gotta try this soon!

  4. Laura

    September 17, 2015 at 9:27 am

    What a simply divine salad! Sauteing the goat cheese rounds is a new one for me – and how creative. I’m definitely going to try it soon.

  5. Ali

    September 17, 2015 at 6:16 am

    I love the inclusion of all the fall veggies and I agree that there is something special about goat cheese to bring out the flavor. Looks delish.

  6. Judy

    September 17, 2015 at 5:55 am

    This is a “must make” love everything about it!!! But you really had me at the goat cheese!

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  8. Courtney Jackson

    November 13, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Ohhhhh my god. I have made this 3 times in about 2 and a half weeks… It is one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. Thanks for this!!!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      November 13, 2011 at 4:25 pm

      Thank you, Courtney, love hearing this. 🙂

  9. Julie

    November 6, 2011 at 6:24 am

    This looks delicious!! I made a different version here: http://dallaterra.net/fall/week-39-–-fall-quinoa-salad/
    I can’t wait to try yours. Thank you for sharing

  10. ziege

    April 2, 2010 at 3:52 am

    I really love goat cheese it is really delicous. Most of the time I eat it as a dessert or use it to make a salsa.

  11. sms bradley

    November 16, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    Thanks, Nancy! 🙂

  12. Dana Zia

    November 15, 2009 at 11:46 am

    I am making this TONIGHT! Seriously. We have some razor clam chowder that we made last night and this would be perfect with it. Oh oh I’m so excited! Thank you Susan
    .-= Dana Zia´s last blog ..Pumpkin; The true Fairy Godmother =-.

    • sms bradley

      November 16, 2009 at 6:54 pm

      Oh yeah, Dana, this is right up your alley. I know you will love it. Now if I just lived in Manzanita, you could heatu p that delicious chowder and I could bring over the salad. 🙂

  13. jessica

    November 9, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    This was so fabulous I can not say enough! We love this one in London! Well done Luna!

    • sms bradley

      November 16, 2009 at 7:48 pm

      Jessica, London? How cool is that for dish to make in halfway around the world almost instantaneously? I hope to visit your gorgeous city next year. Thanks so much! 🙂

  14. lisaiscooking

    November 6, 2009 at 6:49 am

    This is so gorgeous, and the roasted vegetables bring so much flavor! I want this for dinner.
    .-= lisaiscooking´s last blog ..Linguine with Frenched Green Beans and Pesto =-.

    • sms bradley

      November 16, 2009 at 7:55 pm

      Thank you, Lisa! You should definitely make this for dinner. Tonight. 🙂

  15. sms bradley

    November 5, 2009 at 7:09 pm

    Thank you, Cate! 🙂

  16. Cate O'Malley

    November 5, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    I love goat cheese when it’s nice and warm. That salad looks stunning, and perfect for the Fall.

  17. Sophie

    November 4, 2009 at 8:56 am

    Another Grand fall recipe!! I just love your amazing pictures & your georgous & very tasty recipes!

    A real delight & so healthy too!!
    .-= Sophie´s last blog ..Beetroot risotto with ricotta & parmesan =-.

    • sms bradley

      November 5, 2009 at 7:13 pm

      You are very kind, Sophie, thank you. 🙂

  18. Marija

    November 2, 2009 at 11:32 am

    Looks great!
    .-= Marija´s last blog ..Baked Feta Pumpkin =-.

    • sms bradley

      November 2, 2009 at 11:27 pm

      Thanks Marija! 🙂

  19. Bobbie

    November 1, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Oh my! I really must try the roasted veggies and goat’s milk cheese on a salad immediately. This looks incredible!

    • sms bradley

      November 2, 2009 at 11:28 pm

      Bobbie, I encourage you to run make it NOW. 🙂 Seriously, it’s soooo delicious.

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Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy. Read More…

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