roasted fig + potato salad with asparagus, goat cheese + honey-orange balsamic vinaigrette
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
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Makes: 4 side or 2 entree servings
Ingredients
  • For the Salad
  • ½ lb dried figs, such as Mission, stems trimmed
  • 2 cups hot brewed fruity, floral white tea (I used this Pomegranate White Tea with Hibiscus)
  • 1 lb fingerling potatoes (or other small, waxy potato), halved lengthwise
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 head garlic, cloves whole and peeled
  • 5-6 sprigs thyme
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 6 large handfuls arugula
  • 6-8 oz asparagus, trimmed
  • 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
  • For the Dressing
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 3 T orange juice
  • 3 T good balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T honey (or maple syrup)
  • 1 T sweet-hot mustard (I'm loving this one at the moment)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, pour hot tea over dried figs. Bring to room temperature, then cover, refrigerate and allow to soak 2-6 hours or overnight (depending on the softness of your dried fruit), until slightly plumped and soft but with a bit of chew.
  2. Preheat oven to 400F. Drain figs (discard tea) and toss with potatoes, garlic cloves, thyme and plenty of salt and pepper. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and roast until potatoes are golden, tossing once, about 30 mins.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Bring a shallow pan of water to a boil. Salt water and add asparagus, cooking only until bright green, about 60-90 seconds. Remove asparagus to ice water to stop cooking. Drain.
  4. Whisk or shake together all dressing ingredients.
  5. Lightly dress arugula with vinaigrette, tossing to combine. Divide arugula among serving plates (or pile into large serving dish) and top with roasted potatoes, figs and garlic cloves. Add asparagus (either trimmed into bite-sized pieces or whole spears) and goat cheese over the top. Serve with additional dressing and more salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
While the idea of tea-soaked figs seems really unusual, the flavor is lovely and subtle, and the floral aroma complements the rest of the springy components. Choose any light tea that's fruity or floral. (Note that prep time does not account for soaking, which adds an extra 2-6 hours.)

As for presentation, I love the look of this salad served up with the whole spears of asparagus, but you could just as easily slice the stalks on angle and toss them right in.
Recipe by the pig & quill at https://thepigandquill.com/roasted-fig-potato-salad-with-asparagus-goat-cheese-honey-orange-balsamic-vinaigrette/