Roasted Vegetable Composed Salad

With the garden bounty of summer coming through this kitchen, we roast more trays of vegetables than I would want to count. Many of those vegetables get picked off the trays and eaten as snacks. Sometimes they are just intended as snacks. Other times I am more intentional — like with this composed salad.

Any roasted offerings make great salad additions. In this particular case I had some eggplant that needed to be used. We LOVE eggplant so this was a good choice for the light meal that this salad provides. If you need a bit of information on roasting eggplant, check here.

The tomato slices are from two heirlooms: Japanese Black Trifele and Old German. Any fresh garden tomato will do.

The feta cheese was for Sander. He loves it! You could use Romano or Parmesan instead, or any cheese that is sharp and salty. Black olives would be a nice addition to this platter, both visually and texturally. I guess what I am saying is “Have fun!” Build a salad of ingredients you love and then drizzle on some salad dressing.

My preference on a salad of this type is a simple vinaigrette like the citrus-y dressing here.

Make individual plates or a large platter. I enjoy building a large platter. It satisfies some of my creative urge — preference that is all visual and has nothing to do with flavor. Go with your own urges and have a super time!

Composed Salad Ingredients

• Roasted eggplant slices
• Sliced heirloom tomatoes
• Basil sprigs for garnish
• Crumbled feta cheese
• Vinaigrette or dressing of your choice
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Composed Salad Steps

1. Bring the roasted vegetable slices to room temperature. If you assemble this salad with hot vegetables, they will cook the tomatoes and turn them mushy.
2. Overlap the vegetable slices with tomato slices and tuck in some basil sprigs for flavor and color.
3. Sprinkle on the crumbled feta.
4. Drizzle with vinaigrette and adjust for salt and pepper.

This salad is best served at room temperature for maximum flavor.