Keep the main course simple with a no-fuss roast. Make a splash with a festive salad featuring creamy and elegant Cashel Blue Irish farmhouse cheese. Serve on your best china.

1….red onion, peeled
…..Olive oil
…..Salt and pepper
3….pears (not too ripe)
2….tablespoons Kerrygold Unsalted Irish Butter
2….ounces hazelnuts, lightly toasted, halved
5….ounces baby greens (watercress,baby spinach and frisée)
10..ounces Cashel Blue cheese, crumbled

DRESSING:
2½.teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4.teaspoon Dijon mustard
……Salt and pepper
4….tablespoons hazelnut oil
2….tablespoons light olive oil
1½.teaspoons superfine sugar (or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350∞F. Halve onion and cut it into crescent slices. Put into a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast about 20 minutes, or until soft with slightly caramelized tips. Keep warm.
Whisk dressing ingredients together. Halve and core pears, then cut lengthwise into slices slightly thicker than 1/4 inches. Melt butter in a frying pan and quickly sautÈ on each side until golden. Don’t overcook – they should still hold their shape.
Toss salad greens with nuts, using most of the dressing; divide among 6 plates. Add pear and onion slices to each plate and scatter with cheese. Drizzle each plate with the rest of the dressing. Serves 6.
As featured on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour.