Butternut Squash Kale Salad with Maple-Bourbon Dressing
From Dishing Up the Dirt by- Andrea Bemis.
Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Peel the squash, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. In a bowl, toss the squash with the spices and oil. Spread it on the baking sheet and roast until it is golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Flip the squash halfway through cooking.
Make the dressing: In a small saucepan over med. heat, bring the bourbon to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until it is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Continue to cook the dressing over low heat for about 2 minutes longer. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the mustard, oil, and a pinch of salt.
Prepare the salad: In a small dry skillet over med. heat, lightly toast the almonds until they're golden, about 3 minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, roughly chop them.
In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until it's crisp. Place it on paper towels to drain. When it's cool enough to handle, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, toss the kale with 1 to 2 T of the warm bourbon dressing until it's lightly coated. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale until the leaves are tender and bright green. Add the squash, bacon, almonds, blue cheese, and dates. Drizzle on more dressing, tossing evenly to coat. Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper to taste and divide it among the plates. Top it with additional cheese if desired.
Ingredients
Directions
Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Peel the squash, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. In a bowl, toss the squash with the spices and oil. Spread it on the baking sheet and roast until it is golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Flip the squash halfway through cooking.
Make the dressing: In a small saucepan over med. heat, bring the bourbon to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until it is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Continue to cook the dressing over low heat for about 2 minutes longer. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the mustard, oil, and a pinch of salt.
Prepare the salad: In a small dry skillet over med. heat, lightly toast the almonds until they're golden, about 3 minutes. When they're cool enough to handle, roughly chop them.
In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until it's crisp. Place it on paper towels to drain. When it's cool enough to handle, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, toss the kale with 1 to 2 T of the warm bourbon dressing until it's lightly coated. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale until the leaves are tender and bright green. Add the squash, bacon, almonds, blue cheese, and dates. Drizzle on more dressing, tossing evenly to coat. Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper to taste and divide it among the plates. Top it with additional cheese if desired.
Notes
