Blue cheese lovers, this one’s for you. A zippy sherry vinegar-based dressing is emulsified with a generous amount of richly intense blue cheese. While this dressing might be too heavy and overpowering for a romaine or butter lettuce, it’s the perfect foil for bitter, crisp radicchio. Sweet chunks of roasted squash and bits of fragrant rosemary bring this cozy, perfect-for-fall salad together. Toasted hazelnuts give crunch, thin slivers of shallot offer freshness, and if you’re craving even more blue cheese, go ahead and finish the salad with a few salty crumbles.
This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Any crisp, slightly bitter radicchio will do the trick. And if another squash catches your eye at the grocery store, butternut can be swapped out for delicata, acorn, or even roasted chunks of sweet potato. Hazelnuts bring their own fatty depth, but walnuts, pecans, or even almonds would stand in nicely. While blue cheese is what gives this salad its oomph, another soft, rich cheese would also be lovely if you’re not a fan of the funk. Robiola, goat cheese, or brie would lead you to a similarly glossy, rich vinaigrette. Once it comes time to plate, use your hands to carefully pile the salad into a tall, centerpiece-worthy plate of greens.
