Radicchio Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing

Name: Radicchio Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings
Ingredients: 4 oz. blue cheese (such as Gorgonzola or Point Reyes); ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; ¼ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar; 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pure maple syrup; 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper; ½ cup blanched whole hazelnuts; ½ medium butternut squash (about 1¼ lb.), peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1" pieces; 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 1 Tbsp. rosemary leaves; ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more; 1 large head of Treviso radicchio or 1 medium head of Castelfranco radicchio or ½ head of each, leaves separated, torn if large; 1 medium head of endive, leaves separated; Freshly ground pepper; 1 small shallot, thinly sliced, divided

By Elazar Sontag

September 1, 2025

Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Thu Buser

Blue cheese lovers, this one’s for you. A zippy sherry vinegar-based dressing is emulsified with a generous amount of richly intense blue cheese. While this dressing might be too heavy and overpowering for a romaine or butter lettuce, it’s the perfect foil for bitter, crisp radicchio. Sweet chunks of roasted squash and bits of fragrant rosemary bring this cozy, perfect-for-fall salad together. Toasted hazelnuts give crunch, thin slivers of shallot offer freshness, and if you’re craving even more blue cheese, go ahead and finish the salad with a few salty crumbles.

This recipe is endlessly adaptable. Any crisp, slightly bitter radicchio will do the trick. And if another squash catches your eye at the grocery store, butternut can be swapped out for delicata, acorn, or even roasted chunks of sweet potato. Hazelnuts bring their own fatty depth, but walnuts, pecans, or even almonds would stand in nicely. While blue cheese is what gives this salad its oomph, another soft, rich cheese would also be lovely if you’re not a fan of the funk. Robiola, goat cheese, or brie would lead you to a similarly glossy, rich vinaigrette. Once it comes time to plate, use your hands to carefully pile the salad into a tall, centerpiece-worthy plate of greens.

Recipe notes