Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad with Watercress, Pecorino, and Sherry Vinaigrette

This is my interpretation of the salad we had at Pulino’s the day Dad and I went for lunch. The salad can be made with just about any vegetable you can roast, making it perfect for all those farmer’s market or CSA vegetables.

Try carrots, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, or sun chokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes), peeled and cut into medium dice. Cauliflower is good too—simply cut it into florets. Zucchini and eggplant are nice summer options too, just trim and cut them into a medium dice.

Having roasted vegetables around makes it easy to make a meal, so if you want to double the vegetables in this recipe to 8 cups, increase the olive oil to 3 tablespoons and roast the vegetables on an 18- by 12-inch rimmed baking sheet.

There will be leftover vinaigrette, but it’s silly to make less. Plus, having leftover vinaigrette is even better than having leftover roasted vegetables.

Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad with Watercress, Pecorino, and Sherry Vinaigrette

 

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by: Three Many Cooks

Serves: 4 as a hearty first course salad

Ingredients

• 4 heaping cups prepared vegetables (see note above)
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 packed cups watercress
• ½ cup shaved pecorino-Romano cheese (with a vegetable peeler)
• ¼ medium red onion, sliced thin

Instructions

1. Toss vegetables of choice with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Turn onto a 13- by 9-inch rimmed baking sheet coated with vegetable cooking spray. Set pan on lowest rack in cold oven. Turn oven on to 425 degrees and roast until vegetables are spotty brown on one side, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir vegetables and return to oven; continue to cook until just tender and golden brown, stirring once or twice more, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
2. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, vinegar, mustard, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Slowly whisk in oil to make thick vinaigrette.
3. Place watercress, cheese, and red onion in a medium bowl; add warm roasted vegetables and ¼ cup of the vinaigrette; toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings, including salt and pepper and additional vinaigrette if you like. Serve.

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