Root Salad with Honey, Chilli and Lime.

We had a large and jolly lunch party on Sunday and for once I was not keen not to spend most of the day in the kitchen.  So I came up with a menu of roast wild boar (from the fab Wild Meat Company http://www.wildmeats.co.za/) served with homemade breads, salads and gooseberry chutney all of which I prepared well in advance.  The meal was a success and I got to be apron-free as soon as our friends arrived.  This is one of the salads, a scrummy alternative to a standard potato salad.

You simply roast sweet potato and butternut squash with olive oil, honey, whole garlic cloves and red chilli flakes then allow to cool, saving the juices from the tin (I did this on Saturday and just kept everything covered in the fridge).  Then before serving you simply squish the garlic out of their skins and mix with the roasting juices along with some lime juice and a dash more oil.  Then finally top the whole affair with crumbled feta, mint and pumpkin seeds which adds some crunch, fragrance and saltiness.

It is definitely one I'll pull out at future lunch parties and braais.

Ingredients (serves 6 as a side)

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
olive oil
1 lime, juice only
salt and black pepper
4 garlic cloves, kept in their skins
a handful of pumpkin seeds
handful of mint leaves
100g feta, crumbled

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and cover with the honey and chilli flakes drizzle over some olive oil and season well.  Use your hands to mix the veggies in the honey mixture then pop in the garlic cloves around them.  Put the whole lot in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the veg is cooked and slightly charred on the edges.
3. Leave the pan on the side to cool, then remove the veggies and keep in the fridge until needed.  Remove the garlic cloves and squeeze out the insides into a bowl, discard the skins.  Poor the juices from the tin into the garlic bowl and add a touch more oil to loosen it up, seasoning and the lime juice.  Mix well or until the garlic has broken up.  Keep in the fridge until just before serving.
4. To serve, tip the veg in a serving dish and sprinkle over the feta, mint and seeds, then pour over the dressing.

Delicious and so stunning.