Featuring caramelized carrots, Japanese sweet potatoes, red onions and mushrooms, this Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad with Boursin is the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, salty and creamy all wrapped into one healthy and comforting fall dish. Crispy on the outside and sweet and creamy on the inside, these are the roasted vegetables you won’t be able to stop eating right off the hot pan as they cool (please don’t burn your mouth). If there are any veggies left for the salad after you’re done snacking, toss them with a bright dressing and spill them out onto a bed of crisp spinach and arugula. Top the veggies with a generous amount of crumbled Boursin cheese and brace yourself for a salad you just can’t stop eating. And that’s okay, because it’s salad. Delicious, comforting, addictive salad. Enjoy!
What goes in Warm Roasted Vegetable and Boursin Salad?
A trip to the farmer’s market on a fall day will take care of most of your grocery list for this simple recipe.
- Japanese Sweet Potatoes: If you aren’t familiar with this type of sweet potato yet, it’s time to give them a try! With beautiful magenta coloured skin and a starchy, sweet flesh that ranges from creamy white to dark yellow, these sweet potatoes are as visually stunning as they are delicious. If you can’t find Japanese sweet potatoes, regular sweet potatoes can be used.
Japanese Sweet Potatoes
- Carrots: Orange, yellow, purple or red – any colour of carrot (or any mix of different coloured carrots) will enhance the visual appeal of this salad.
- Cremini Mushrooms: Meaty, earthy and savoury, cremini mushrooms add depth of flavour and heartiness. White mushrooms or a mix of wild mushrooms can be substituted.
- Red Onion: Red onion roasts up soft and sweet, and adds another pop of colour to the dish. Swap in a sweet onion in place of the red onion if needed.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use a good quality olive oil for the best flavour
- Thyme: I usually make this recipe in the fall and winter months, when my fresh thyme plants have long since gone to bed for the season, so I usually use dried. Roasting at high temperature also dries out, and sometimes burns, fresh herbs, so dried is actually preferable to fresh herbs in this recipe.
- White Wine Vinegar: This type of vinegar adds a rich savoury flavour and bright acidity to the dressing. There’s a generous amount of the white wine vinegar in this dressing to balance the sweetness of the roasted vegetables, so look for a good quality bottle as the flavour will shine through.
- Honey: Just a touch of honey is all that is needed to balance the tartness of the vinegar with a little sweetness.
- Dijon Mustard: A teaspoon of dijon mustard helps to balance and emulsify the dressing.
- Baby Arugula: This type of greens adds a delicious pepperiness to the salad.
- Baby Spinach: Tender spinach leaves add a punch of dark green colour and a mild flavour. You can use all spinach in this recipe if you don’t have baby arugula, but the combination of the spinach and arugula works beautifully together.
- Boursin: This soft and creamy, herb and garlic infused cheese adds a flavour-packed punch to this salad. Look for Boursin in the deli department or cheese counter of your local grocery store. If you can’t find Boursin, goat cheese or feta cheese would also be delicious, though very different, substitutes.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This salad is the perfect match for other comforting fall and winter dishes. Serve it with a roast chicken or roast beef, or alongside a mustard glazed salmon or cider roasted pork tenderloin. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish with extra dressing for dipping crusty bread served alongside.
DRINK PAIRINGS
For a a white wine, choose a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a rich Viognier. If the rest of your meal (or your mood) calls for red wine, look for an earthy Pinot Noir or a fruity Merlot.
Warm Root Vegetable Salad with Boursin
Ingredients
For the roasted vegetables
- 1/2 lb/227 gr large carrots (about 3 large carrots), peeled and cut in large dice
- 1 lb/454 gr Japanese sweet potatoes (about 4 small potatoes), scrubbed and cut in large dice
- 1/2 lb/227 gr cremini mushrooms, (about 10 medium mushrooms), halved or quartered if large
- 1 small red onion, cut in 8 wedges
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
For the dressing
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
To assemble
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 of a 150 gr package Boursin cheese, or to taste
Instructions
- Place a large sheet pan on the centre rack of the oven and preheat to 425F.
- Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, red onions, 2 Tbsp olive oil, thyme, 1 tsp kosher salt and a few good cracks of pepper to a large mixing bowl and toss it all to coat evenly.
- Dump the vegetables onto the preheated pan and use a spatula to spread them out evenly in a single layer. Roast for 15 minutes, toss the vegetables, then roast for another 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and have started to brown. Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- While the vegetables are roasting, make the dressing by mixing together 2 Tbsp olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
- In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, spinach and half of the dressing, then transfer the dressed greens to a large rimmed serving platter. In the same bowl, toss the warm roasted vegetables with the remaining dressing, then spoon the vegetables over the greens. Crumble the Boursin over the vegetables and serve the salad immediately for a warm salad. The residual heat from the vegetables may slightly wilt the greens and soften the Boursin, which is fine (and delicious!). If serving the salad at room temperature, allow the roasted vegetables to cool completely, before assembling the salad.
RECIPE NOTES
- This recipe calls for carrots, japanese sweet potatoes, cremini mushrooms and red onion, but you can use any root vegetable that you like. (Yes, I do know that mushrooms are not a root vegetable, but their earthiness makes them the perfect match for the other roots.). Include a variety of root veggies of different colours for a beautiful presentation.
Looking for other delicious fall recipes? Check out these Style and Grace favourites!
