Redgate Kitchen

refreshing on a summer day

When it’s about 97 degrees outside nobody really feels like standing over a hot stove to prepare the next meal. This tasty grain salad with roasted cubed sweet potatoes, chopped fresh herbs, peppery arugula, diced fresh tomatoes, and sweet onion all drizzled with a refreshing sharp red wine vinaigrette will be perfect for dinner and even better as leftovers for lunch the next day.

ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked farro, rinsed
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 5-8 sweet cocktail tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups of arugula
• fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
• fresh mint, chopped (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
• fresh chives, chopped (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbsp for roasting the sweet potatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 11/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, a pinch extra for roasting the sweet potatoes
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• optional – sliced grilled chicken

steps

1. Pre-heat oven to 425℉. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized cubes. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Lay the sweet potato cubes on a baking sheet (or 2 if needed) making sure to space the pieces out so that they can brown and not steam.
2. Bake the sweet potatoes until golden, about 30 minutes. Turn them over once halfway through cooking time.
3. Cook the rinsed Farro according to the package instructions.
4. Prepare the herbs, onion, tomatoes as described above.

5. While the Farro is cooking and the sweet potatoes roasting, prepare the red wine vinaigrette as follows: whisk vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in extra virgin olive oil in a slow steady stream until emulsified. You can make this ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature just before serving.

salad assembly

1. Place the arugula at the bottom of a large bowl.

2. Add the cooled cooked Farro.

3. Top the Farro with the chopped onion, herbs, and diced tomatoes.

4. Top with as much of the roasted sweet potatoes as you like (you may not need all of it).

5. Drizzle the salad with the red wine vinaigrette to your taste (the remainder can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days).

6. Another great option is to top the salad with sliced grilled chicken breast. As always, enjoy!