Honeyed Winter Salad

I think as I said before I have been rather overdosing on the root veg, as we all do at this time of year, it is, after all, what is in season. I have been coming up with more ingenious ways to use them than just as a side veg to a main meal and found quite a few root veg salad recipes, which although the recipes suggest eating them hot, work cold as well. This is one of those.

Honeyed Winter Salad (adapted from Good Food Magazine February 2006)
(Serves 4)

4 carrots, cut into wedges
2 red onions, halved and cut into wedges
4 parsnips, cut into wedges
16 Brussels sprouts, trimmed
3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp clear honey
1 small ciabatta, roughly torn into pieces
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
225g bag leaf spinach
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Heat oven to 200C. Put the vegetables into a large roasting tin, drizzle with half the oil and season to taste. Roast for 20 mins, turning once in a while until softened. Drizzle with the honey. Scatter the torn ciabatta and sunflower seeds over the top and return to the oven for a further 5 mins or until toasted.

Put the spinach into a large bowl and tip in the vegetables and ciabatta. Whisk the vinegar, mustard and remaining oil together, season to taste and toss into the salad until the spinach wilts slightly. Serve immediately.