With the cooler weather, my thoughts turn to rich slow braises and saucy puddings. But let’s not forget that salads aren’t just for summer, either.

Winter salad ideas

Sweet potato chip salad

Toss thinly sliced sweet potato on lined baking trays. Roast for 35 minutes in a 180°C oven until golden. While it’s cooking, toast pecans in a hot pan, finishing with splash of maple syrup. Cook until it bubbles, then stir in a dollop of sriracha and lay this on a baking paper-lined tray to cool. Wipe out the pan and toast loads of frozen corn in a little oil, adding a sprinkle of smoked paprika and a knob of butter. Add hot sweet potato chips to a bowl and toss with maple pecans, toasted corn, pea shoots and a creamy whipped feta and creme fraiche dressing. Season with lime juice and salt.

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Roast pumpkin salad

What makes a salad? Well, it needs leaves. Or dressing. Or maybe it just needs texture, and the spirit of a salad. Like a pile of sticky roast pumpkin crescents glazed with redcurrant or quince jelly. Arrange on a base of hummus marbled with Greek yoghurt and strewn with pomegranate arils . Mound chopped dates tossed with parsley, mint and lemon zest and juice on top and sprinkle with toasted almonds or pistachios.

Roasted red capsicum salad

Char the skin on the barbecue, put in plastic bag so their steam helps loosen the skins. Then peel and remove the seeds. Slice and toss swags of red capsicum in olive oil with a splash of wine vinegar. Arrange around a burrata and top the lot with anchovy fillets, slices of crisp garlic and marjoram or oregano leaves.

Beetroot salad

Roast them, cut into chunks and arrange with batons of pear tossed in lemon juice. Dress with walnuts (candied, if you can be bothered) and drizzle over honey mustard dressing. To make this, shake together 1 tsp warmed runny honey, 3 tsp Dijon mustard and 50ml grapeseed oil. Stir in chopped dill, lemon juice and salt to taste. If you need leaves, add torn red radicchio, rocket or shredded silverbeet. If you need some protein, pair with confit king salmon fillets, smoked trout or flaked hot smoked salmon.

Witlof salad

The sweet, golden warmth of honey is the perfect foil to the cool creaminess of goat’s cheese. Throw the two over the crunch of gently bitter witlof leaves for a simple autumn salad that goes very with grilled chicken or lamb chops. Add tarragon leaves and red seedless grapes braised with a little red wine vinegar for a saucy drizzle if you want more going on, but I like the simplicity of the original.

Brassicas salad

Credit: Ben Dearnley

Sure, we can make a coleslaw with shaved brussels sprouts and nashi pear, but there is something wonderful about the simplicity of very, very finely shaved white cabbage tossed with a creamy dressing made by whisking white soy, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar together with a little sugar and grated ginger. Season with soy sauce to taste. Avoid the temptation of adding long green shallots, julienned carrot or edamame. I will allow a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. I reckon this is a meal by itself, but it would also go very well with a panko-crumbed schnitzel.

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