Roasted Sweet Potato, Fennel and Hazelnut Salad

With the British summer here in all its jagged, erratic beauty, it seems only right to be focussing once again on the wonderful and irresistible abundance of seasonal crops.  The roadsides of Norfolk are studded with seen-better-days caravans packed to the brim with locally grown raspberries, strawberries, beans, tomatoes, new potatoes and, if you’re lucky, a bucket full of medieval looking artichokes, their spiked domes just asking to be trimmed, steamed and scooped.

Colour plays an enormous part of this time of year.  Gardens, fields, hedgerows burst with vibrancy: gleaming whites, robust reds, deep greens and glossy purples reflect the photodynamic power of the sun’s heat.  I want my plates of food to reflect the season: colours, flavours and textures should layer and mesh, leaving you sated but still feeling light.

This salad is particularly simple to make and offers a delicious lunch or supper.  The combination of the roasted tender sweet potato, crisp, clean slices of fennel and delicately nutty hazelnuts provides a lovely medley of textures.  You could serve it as an accompaniment to a roasted chicken or pork tenderloin, studded with garlic and crusted in demerara sugar.  Equally, it would be delicious with pesto stuffed peppers or kebabs of harissa spiced aubergine.  I can happily eat it as it is; it’s light, lemony dressing and a handful of rocket being a lovely finish to its preparation.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO, FENNEL AND HAZELNUT SALAD

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as an accompaniment             

2 sweet potatoes

1 large fennel

50g hazelnuts

50g rocket

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

For the dressing

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp soft brown sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180c.  Place the nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven until roasted and fragrant – about 6 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.  Next make the dressing.  Pour the olive oil into a bowl, add the sugar and then whisk in the lemon juice, bit by bit, until amalgamated.  Season to taste.

Peel the sweet potato and cut into 3cm chunks.  Place in a roasting tin and coat with the olive oil.  Season well and then roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until the potato has started to crisp on the outside and is tender to a knife point.  Remove and allow to cool slightly.

While the potatoes cook, trim the ends from the fennel and discard any tired or tough outer leaves; keeping any fennel fronds for dressing later.  Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, finely slice the fennel lengthways until you have fine and light strips.

Comments

[Helen]

Yum, I love fennel and this look so summery and fresh. Can't wait to try it.

[Sarah]

We're going to have this for lunch today with some pork tenderloin as you suggested, can't wait!

[The Intolerant Gourmet]

Thanks Helen, glad you like the look of it.

Sarah, yeay! That sounds delicious, do let me know how you get on.