Roasted Bread Salad Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH BREAD AND ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a baking dish. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs without breaking the skin. Carefully slide the sprigs of thyme and the garlic under the skin. Put the lemon in the cavity. Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of sea salt and the pepper, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean!) Place the bread in a medium (10-inch) cast-iron skillet in a single layer. Brush the chicken with olive oil and place it, breast side up, on top of the bread. Roast for 30 minutes, turn it over and roast for 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Wrap the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest at room temperature for a full 30 minutes. (Don¿t worry; it will stay hot.) The bread will be almost burnt on the bottom and soft with the pan drippings on top.
• Place the Arugula Salad in a very large, shallow serving platter. Put the chicken and the bread on a cutting board. Cut the bread into 1-inch squares and sprinkle them on the salad. Carve the chicken thickly (see note) and place it on top of the salad. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken, sprinkle it with sea salt, and serve warm.
• Whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisk in the olive oil, stir in the scallions and currants, and set aside.
• Place the arugula in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss well.

ROASTED BREAD AND TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the tomatoes, oil, garlic and oregano in a 10-inch pie plate and toss to combine. Season with salt. Roast for 10 minutes. Stir in the bread cubes and roast, stirring halfway through, until the tomatoes are juicy, about 10 minutes more. Drizzle with olive oil and serve warm.

TOASTED BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, lime juice, vinegar, and 3 tablespoons safflower oil; set vinaigrette aside.
• In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with olive oil until well coated. Spread bread cubes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven until golden and toasted, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl and add cucumber, tomatoes, ginger (if using), cilantro, mint, basil, jalapeno, and arugula. Drizzle vinaigrette over top, and season with salt and pepper; toss to combine.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season well with salt, black pepper and red-pepper flakes (if using) and toss again. Spread the squash in an even layer on the sheet pan and roast until it begins to brown in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.
• While the squash roasts, in the same bowl (no need to wipe it out), toss the bread with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. After the squash has roasted for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from the oven and turn the squash pieces over. Add the bread to the sheet pan. Roast 10 to 15 minutes more, turning the bread halfway through, until the croutons are golden and crisp and the squash is tender.
• While the squash and croutons roast, whisk together the tahini, lime juice, honey and 2 tablespoons water. Season to taste with salt.
• Arrange the squash and croutons on a platter or in a bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Scatter with the herbs, if using.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Drizzle with 1/4 cup oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place in 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute asparagus in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook 1 minute longer., Cut corn from cobs; place in a large bowl. Stir in the bread, tomatoes, cheese, basil, asparagus and roasted vegetable mixture. For dressing, combine oil and vinegar; drizzle over mixture and toss to coat.

WARM BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Place currants in a small dish, add red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon warm water, and set aside. Heat broiler. Place pine nuts in small baking dish, and toast under broiler until very lightly colored. Set aside.
• Cut bread into three or four large chunks. Closely trim off most of the crust and reserve, if desired, to toast and use for bread crumbs or to float in soup. Brush bread all over with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Briefly broil bread chunks, turning until crisp and golden on surface. Remove from oven, trim off any charred tips, and tear chunks into irregular pieces, from 2-inch wads to large crumbs. You should have 4 cups. Place in wide metal, glass or ceramic salad bowl.
• Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil with 1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of this dressing over bread and toss.
• Place one tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet. Add garlic and scallions, and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until softened but not colored. Add to bread and fold in. Drain currants and fold in. Add pine nuts and fold in. Drizzle salad with stock or water, and fold in. Taste a couple of pieces of bread. Add a little more vinegar, salt and pepper if necessary. Toss well, and transfer to a 4-cup baking dish. Tent lightly with foil. Do not wash salad bowl. Set salad aside until about 30 minutes before serving time.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place bread salad in oven, turn off heat, and leave for 15 minutes. Return salad to bowl. Add greens, remaining vinaigrette, and enough of remaining olive oil so bread is not dry. Toss again. Serve with grilled or roasted meat.

ROASTED-CHICKEN BREAD SALAD WITH PEAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let chicken stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in separate batches, blanch fresh peas and snap peas (or just snap peas, if using frozen green peas) in a medium pot of salted boiling water until bright green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to an ice-water bath; let cool completely. Drain. Slice snap peas in half on the bias.
• Pat chicken dry and transfer to a large ovenproof skillet. Rub all over with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until chicken is golden and a thermometer inserted into thigh (avoiding bone) registers 160 degrees, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Loosely tent with foil to keep warm.
• Skim fat from skillet; discard. Whisk lemon juice and 1/4 cup oil into skillet, then season with salt and pepper.
• Heat broiler. Arrange bread on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing occasionally, until toasted, about 2 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine toasted bread with both peas. Drizzle with lemon dressing and toss to coat. Arrange bread salad on a platter and top with chicken and pea shoots; serve.

GREEK SALAD ON ROASTED GARLIC FRENCH BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the dry package of Idahoan Roasted Garlic Potatoes with the butter until blended. Slice the French bread length wise and generously spread with the roasted garlic mixture. Toast under the broiler until butter spread is melted and toasted on top. (You can also grill the Garlic Bread--see footnote.)
• Greek Salad: Drain onion from ice water and pat dry with paper towels. In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients, except cheese. Top the French bread with the Greek salad and sprinkle cheese over top. Serve with Tzatziki sauce.
• Tzatziki Sauce: In a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. Stir until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Oven Roasted Chicken:
• Dissolve the salt in cold water and place rinsed chickens in water. Let chicken brine in salt water for 6 to 8 hours in refrigerator. Remove, rinse & dry. Season with pepper, rub with olive oil & stuff under the skin with fresh sage leaves. Roast in wood burning oven 450-500 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
• Bread Salad:
• Toast bread lightly. Make vinaigrette - in large bowl mix vinegar, chicken stock, garlic & chives. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss with toasted bread, currants & pine nuts. Cover with foil & bake in 400 degree oven until lightly brown about 20 minutes. To serve toss warm bread salad with arugula , chives or spring onions and serve with chicken.
• Chicken Jus:
• Heat stock in sauce pan and slowly swirl in butter until incorporated over very low heat. Season & serve over chicken and bread salad.

MEAT LOVER'S BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the first five ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour., Just before serving, whisk dressing again. Add meats, lettuce, tomatoes, cubed rolls and cheese; toss to coat.

ZUNI ROAST CHICKEN WITH BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Seasoning the chicken (1 to 3 days before serving; for 3-1/4- to 3-1/2-pound chickens, at least 2 days):
• Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and pat very dry inside and out. Be thorough-a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown.
• Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Using your finger, shove an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
• Season the chicken liberally all over with salt and the pepper (we use 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of chicken). Season the thick sections a little more heavily than the skinny ankles and wings. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity, on the backbone, but don't otherwise worry about seasoning the inside. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
• Starting the bread salad (up to several hours in advance):
• Preheat the broiler. Cut the bread into a couple of large chunks. Carve off all of the bottom crust and most of the top and side crust (reserve the top and side crusts to use as croûtons in salads or soups). Brush the bread all over with olive oil. Broil very briefly, to crisp and lightly color the surface. Turn the bread chunks over and crisp the other side. Trim off any badly charred tips, then tear the chunks into a combination of irregular 2- to 3-inch wads, bite-sized bits, and fat crumbs. You should get about 4 cups.
• Combine about 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the Champagne or white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss about 1/4 cup of this tart vinaigrette with the torn bread in a wide salad bowl; the bread will be unevenly dressed. Taste one of the more saturated pieces. If it is bland, add a little salt and pepper and toss again. Place the currants in a small bowl and moisten with the red wine vinegar and warm water. Set aside.
• Roasting the chicken and assembling the salad:
• Preheat the oven to 475°F. (Depending on the size, efficiency, and accuracy of your oven, and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500°F or as low as 450°F during the course of roasting the chicken to get it to brown properly. If that proves to be the case, begin at that temperature the next time you roast a chicken. If you have a convection function on your oven, use it for the first 30 minutes; it will enhance browning, and may reduce overall cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes.)
• Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle. Place in the center of the oven and listen and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn't, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over (drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking). Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to recrisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to an hour.
• While the chicken is roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish and set in the hot oven for a minute or two, just to warm through. Add them to the bowl of bread.
• Place a spoonful of the olive oil in a small skillet, add the garlic and scallions, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until softened. Don't let them color. Scrape into the bread and fold to combine. Drain the plumped currants and fold in. Dribble the chicken stock or lightly salted water over the salad and fold again. Taste a few pieces of bread-a fairly saturated one and a dryish one. If it is bland, add salt, pepper, and/or a few drops of vinegar, then toss well. Since the basic character of bread salad depends on the bread you use, these adjustments can be essential. Pile the bread salad in a 1-quart baking dish and tent with foil; set the salad bowl aside. Place the salad in the oven after you flip the chicken the final time.
• Finishing and serving the chicken and bread salad:
• Remove the chicken from the oven and turn off the heat. Leave the bread salad to continue warming for another 5 minutes or so. Lift the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Carefully pour the clear fat from the roasting pan, leaving the lean drippings behind. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl it. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. Set the chicken in a warm spot (which may be your stovetop), and leave to rest while you finish the bread salad. The meat will become more tender and uniformly succulent as it cools.
• Set a platter in the oven to warm for a minute or two. Tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape to soften any hard golden drippings. Taste-the juices will be extremely flavorful.
• Tip the bread salad into the salad bowl. (It will be steamy-hot, a mixture of soft, moist wads, crispy-on-the-outside-but-moist-in-the-middle wads, and a few downright crispy ones.) Drizzle and toss with a spoonful of the pan juices. Add the greens, a drizzle of vinaigrette, and fold well. Taste again.
• Cut the chicken into pieces, spread the bread salad on the warm platter, and nestle the chicken in the salad.

FIRE-ROASTED TOMATO AND BREAD SALAD WITH SPICY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush 2 tablespoons oil over cut sides of tomatoes. Grill tomatoes, cut side down, just until grill marks show but tomatoes are still slightly firm, about 2 minutes. Turn tomatoes over; grill 2 minutes longer. Transfer to baking sheet. Cool slightly. Brush 2 tablespoons oil over both sides of bread slices. Grill until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet with tomatoes. Cool slightly.
• Whisk vinegar, chipotle chili and garlic in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• Cut grilled tomatoes into 3/4-inch pieces. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces. Combine tomatoes, bread and onion in large bowl. Toss to blend. Let stand until bread absorbs most of tomato juices, about 30 minutes. Add vinaigrette and cilantro and toss to blend. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

ROASTED BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Grill or roast the peppers until the skin is blackened and blistered.
• Place in a plastic bag until cool enough to handle.
• Peel, seed and cut into thin strips and set aside.
• Heat oven to 200°C/400°F degrees.
• Peel the onion and slice into rings.
• Thinly slice the cucumber.
• Thickly slice the tomatoes.
• Arrange these ingredients as well as the olives and peppers on a serving platter.
• Brush or spray the bread slices with the olive oil and cut into cubes and bake in the oven until golden and crisp (about 10 minutes).
• Combine all the dressing ingredients in a screw top jar and shake well.
• Sprinkle the salad with the bread cubes.
• Drizzle with the dressing before serving.