David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl: an amazing winter salad

This is a salad for the cooler months, made with slices of orange and blush grapefruit that look stunning and taste amazing.

Vibrant: orange, date & avocado salad

This is a salad for the cooler months. When most fruit and vegetables are asleep, oranges and blush grapefruit come to the rescue. They look stunning and taste amazing in salads combined with bitter greens, baked feta or – as we’ve done here – paired with good olive oil, creamy avocado, crunchy hazelnuts, sweet dates and some bread to soak up the leftover juices. The humble potato is taken to the next level, too: boiled then smashed and roasted, and made even more delicious with creamy yoghurt and a flavoursome butter.

David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl

ORANGE, DATE & AVOCADO WINTER SALAD

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 blood (or regular) orange, peeled and cut into thick slices

1 pink grapefruit, trimmed, peeled and segmented

1 avocado, thickly sliced

2 tomatoes (optional), cut into wedges

2 soft dates, torn

Handful of hazelnuts, toasted

1 mint sprig, leaves picked

1 tablespoon tahini

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or dried chilli flakes

Crusty bread, to serve

Drizzle olive oil over a serving plate. Arrange orange, grapefruit, avocado and tomatoes in layers on the plate, then top with the dates. Sprinkle over hazelnuts and mint, then drizzle with tahini. Finish with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper or dried chilli flakes; serve with bread. Serves 2

Smashed potatoes

SMASHED POTATOES WITH SMOKY CHILLI BUTTER

1kg medium-sized roasting potatoes, skin on

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, skin on, smashed

3 rosemary, thyme or tarragon sprigs, leaves picked

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

250g (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

½ bunch dill, coarsely chopped

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley

For the chilli butter

50g butter

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan). Place potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil; simmer for 20-25 minutes on a medium-low heat or until tender. Drain in a colander and leave to steam-dry for 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking tray and toss with the oil, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher, spatula or the bottom of a glass to smash each potato. You want to keep each in one piece but flatten it slightly. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until golden and super crisp.

To make the smoky chilli butter, melt the butter with the paprika and chilli flakes in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

Transfer the roasted potatoes to a serving platter and top each with a dollop of yoghurt. Squeeze the creamy garlic cloves out of their skins and add to platter; scatter over the dill and parsley. Drizzle everything with the smoky chilli butter and serve. Serves 6 as a side

Quick + Slow

Edited extract from Green Kitchen: Quick + Slow – Joyful Vegetarian Recipes for Quick Weeknight Fixes and Slow Weekend Meals by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (Hardie Grant, $45). Photography: David Frenkiel