Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach with Toasted Almond Dressing

The head notes for Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach with Toasted Almond Dressing say "with just five basic ingredients, this dish has amazing complexity."

I'm going to go a little further and say "with just five basic ingredients, this dish kicks ass."

It is SO GOOD! Don says it's comfort food, and people, usually vegetables do not = comfort food.

Here's the basic idea. You roast squash (it doesn't have to be butternut squash--I actually used acorn squash), and let it cool. Saute a lot of chopped almonds in olive oil, and drain the oil. Add a little lemon juice, salt and pepper to the oil, then toss with raw spinach, squash and almonds. I was a little worried that it would be too spinach-y (I find raw spinach awkward to eat) but the oil, lemon juice and salt do a great job of wilting the spinach to manageable proportions.

Some of the dishes that I make in the gourmet cookbook are one-time-only events. But this one is destined to be a regular in our kitchen.