Delicata Squash Salad with Shaved Fennel, Honeycrisp Apples, and Hazelnuts

Clean the squash and slice into about 1/2″ pieces. Toss with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and a sprig or two of rosemary (don’t overdo it). Leave the skins on, they are edible.

Roast at 375ºF until soft and taking some color (about 15-20 minutes; keep an eye on them). Toast the hazelnuts in the oven along with the squash (I recommend a small cast-iron pan for this) just until slightly colored.

Meanwhile, shave/slice the fennel carefully with your (sharp) knife, the smaller the slices the better. Chop the apple as well. You don’t need to be as dainty here; a slightly larger slice is fine for the apples. Before going further, dress the fennel and apples with a large squeeze of lemon to prevent oxidation.

When hazelnuts are toasted, remove, let cool slightly and chop roughly. You may choose to remove the skins beforehand if you dislike them. I personally don’t mind them unless they are older/less quality nuts. It’s your choice. Thrown them into the bowl with the fennel and apples.

When squash is cooked, remove from oven and toss directly into salad mix. Add baby greens, more lemon, salt, pepper, and fennel fronds. Add more oil if desired, toss gently and top with shaved hard cheese and finishing salt.