Smoked Venison Salad with crispy croutons, roasted beetroot and squash

This seriously delicious salad works well as a main course but would be a delightful starter too. Here we have given the beautiful Smoked Venison a backdrop of earthy vegetables, with a pop of smoked stilton to add a creamy tartness.  

Roasting beetroot is a breeze and once cooked it will happily keep in a fridge for a few days, as will the roast squash – just let them come back to room temperature before serving.

Serves 4 as a main course 

Ingredients  

100g pack of Smoked Venison 

1 bunch of beetroot 

1 small squash – peeled and cut into chunks 

Olive oil

50g smoked Stilton – or feta or parmesan

1-2 slices of good bread

I bag of salad leaves

2 tbsp pumpkins seeds – optional 

Olive oil

Dressing

1 tbsp good honey – we used Kent honey

1 tsp of Dijon mustard – we used Tracklements

30ml olive oil – we used Perello

10-15ml Apple Cider vinegar 

Salt and Pepper

Assemble all the dressing ingredients in a jam jar, pop the lid on and shake to mix and emulsify.

For the Salad

Lay out the squash on an olive oil-lined baking tray, mix, season & cook for 30-40 mins until golden and soft – allow to cool.

Top and tail the beetroot, wash it and cut into wedges, you may need to halve if it is a large beetroot. Place on an oil-lined baking tray and season – bake for 40 mins until tender. 

Take the crusts off the bread and cut into cubes, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Put in the oven for about 7 mins or you can air fry for 3 or 4. You want a golden crispy edge.

Lay the leaves out on a platter. Spread over the roasted veg and nestle in the croutons.  Lay across the pieces of smoked venison, dot over the cheese and scatter with pumpkin seeds.

Drizzle over the dressing and serve, with extra bread if wanted!