Roasted Red Onion and Pear Salad

Don't let the roasted red onion part scare you- it TOTALLY makes the salad! I made this salad for a casual family dinner last weekend, and it worked beautifully. The flavor is mild enough that it will compliment any type of meal; this salad was paired with authentic green enchiladas. The whole "one red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges with root end intact" was kind of confusing, but the onion bakes much better (read: less wilted and charred) if you keep the onions in thick, 1-inch wedges. Also, just an fyi, bibb lettuce leaves are the same thing as butter lettuce leaves. I've never tried bibb lettuce leaves, but I really liked the texture and flavor. It was nice to have a different type of lettuce leaf, and it worked well with everything else in the salad.

And the salad dressing in the recipe- AWESOME. Don't use anything else. And one more thing- I liked dividing everything in separate individual plates, instead of tossing everything in a big bowl. I think I will do this more often from now on, because it ensures everyone will get equal portions of all of the flavors that make up the salad.

Roasted Red Onion and Pear Salad

2 Tb orange juice
1 Tb lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp thyme
6 Tb olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges with root end intact
1 head Bibb lettuce leaves torn in big pieces
1 6-oz bag baby spinach
2 ripe pears, cored and cut in thin strips
However much you like of the next three ingredients:
Goat cheese
Chopped almonds
Dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk orange and lemon juices, mustard, honey, and thyme together in bowl. Gradually whisk in 4 Tb oil. Season with approximately 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.

2. Toss onion wedges with remaining 2 Tb oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Transfer to baking sheet and roast until brown and soft, about 25 minutes, flipping wedges halfway through cooking. Cool 15 minutes.

3. Divide Bibb lettuce leaves among individual salad plates. Toss spinach with 1/4 cup dressing in large bowl. Divide spinach among plates. Arrange roasted onion, pear, goat cheese, almonds, and cranberries on top. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.