Pumpkin, sage and walnut salad

"Salad" is a great way of making "piling ingredients on a plate" sound fancy. 

1 large chunk of pumpkin or squash

1 handful sage leaves

1 handful walnuts

1/2 onion

olive oil for frying

a couple of handfuls of baby spinach

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

Peel your pumpkin, and slice as thinly as you can, and finely slice the onion. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the pumpkin in batches, cooking for 2 minutes on each side, until they soften and start to caramelise a little along the edges. You might as well season the pumpkin while it's cooking. 

Pile the baby spinach up on a large plate. Once the pumpkin is cooked, pile it on top. 

Turn down the heat a little, and add a little more oil to the pan. Cook the finely sliced onion for a couple of minutes until softened - a splash of water in the pan should hurry this along. Add the onions to your plate. 

Fry the sage leaves for a minute or so, until they begin to crisp up. Add the walnuts and heat up for another minute before adding them to your salad. 

That's the salad bit done - now the dressing. Quickly whisk together the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and olive, then pour over the top. See - fancy.