I’d never heard of mâche until I lived in France. I was looking for lettuce to use for salad and there were big bags full of mâche at the grocery store. It looked better than the iceberg variety, so I thought I’d give it a try. It did not disappoint.

Mâche is the ultimate salad green. It’s more subtle than spinach and doesn’t have the bite of arugula, so you can use it as a base for pretty much anything. It’s delicate but holds up well in a salad bowl, so you can layer other ingredients on top.

For this salad, I decided to pair mâche with roasted sweet potato, pecans, avocado, and pumpkin seeds. I like the colors in the bowl. I’m a big believer in colors and presentation when it comes to salad. Unlike other food, you can tell right away if a salad is bad or not by looking at it.

I also sprinkled some goat cheese on top. I decided to pay more for the good goat cheese from Vermont and it was definitely worth it. The cheese was light and airy and paired well with the roasted sweet potato and and pecans.

Anyway. I would highly recommend making this salad as soon as possible. It’s good for days when it snows and you wish that it didn’t, or pretty much whenever.

Here’s a good song for salad-making or for distracting yourself from the aforementioned snow. Days like these call for Dolly Parton.

Mâche Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Avocado (from me, to you)

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups mâche
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
Meyer lemon juice, salt and pepper for topping

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the chopped sweet potato on top. Drizzle on olive oil and salt and toss the mixture so the sweet potato pieces are evenly coated. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Check 20-25 minutes in to make sure the pieces aren’t too brown.

Meanwhile, assemble the greens. Wash the mâche and place it in a bowl. Layer with goat cheese, avocado slices, chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds and the sweet potato when it’s ready. Squeeze some lemon juice on top and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!