Meat mains
Warm salad of roasted Jerusalem artichokes and pears with blue cheese
A good, comforting salad of subtle contrasts – sweet pears, earthy Jerusalem artichokes, salty cheese and smoky bacon. This works fine without bacon for vegetarians, and it could also be made with beetroot instead of artichokes.
Ingredients
- 700-800g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed well (no need to peel them), each cut into 4
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 firm pears, cut in ½ lengthways then into 6 wedges, stalks and core removed
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- juice of ½ a lemon
- 1 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 200g salad leaves or baby spinach
- 6 rashers of smoked bacon, fried or grilled until cooked, then cut into small pieces
- 150g blue cheese, crumbled
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Toss the artichokes in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
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Step 2
Bake for 15 minutes, then add the pears and toss together. Roast for another 30 minutes or so, until the artichokes are cooked through and golden.
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Step 3
While the artichokes are roasting, make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk all the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar and oil together.
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Step 4
Spread the salad leaves over a serving platter, scatter over the artichokes, pears and cooked bacon pieces, drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle over the crumbled blue cheese to serve.
