I’m not usually one for puns, but you guys…naming this salad, literally all I wanted to call it was “Orange You Glad You Ate This Salad?” I mean, it’s orange and it has blood orange vinaigrette! In other news, I am a totally hip and with it person. Cheesy puns aside, there is a bit of truth in that ridiculous moniker. I am very glad I ate this! This was inspired by something Caroline and I ordered at a restaurant recently. While the first version was just okay, I’m happy to report that the homemade version blew me away.
I’m a firm believer that almost any ingredient can be delicious if it is prepared the right way. Normally, I’m not especially fond of either sweet potatoes or carrots, but in this dish I love them both. This is such a fantastic option for a light lunch or a seasonal healthy side dish. The veggies are tasty and satisfying, the pear adds sweetness, and the citrus vinaigrette brightens the whole thing at once.
While it would have been more convenient to toss the veggies all together, roast at once, and call it good, I knew the key to a perfectly done salad was perfectly done veggies. This meant par cooking the potatoes and roasting the two separately. While this may seem inconvenient, it actually works out beautifully. You can par cook, roast the potatoes, and roast the carrots whenever it might be convenient for you. I actually made this over the course of a busy work week, doing one thing at a time whenever I had time to complete a step. I finally put it all together on the weekend and was blown away by the final result. Try it out and see for yourself. Seriously, orange you glad you ate this? :D