Autumn Recipe | Roasted Gippsland Pumpkin & Root Vegetable Salad 🍂

 

Autumn in Gippsland is when the region’s fertile soils truly shine.

As the weather cools, the harvest turns toward pumpkin, beetroot, carrots and other sweet root vegetables, producing flavours that are earthy, vibrant and naturally comforting. With produce this fresh, very little is needed to turn it into something special.

This dish celebrates the beauty of simple techniques. Roasting brings out the vegetables’ natural sweetness, while nutty brown butter, Gippsland bush honey and roasted hazelnuts add richness and texture.

The result is a warm autumn dish that feels restaurant-worthy yet simple enough for a home cook — capturing the essence of Gippsland’s seasonal harvest in every bite.

Roasted Gippsland Pumpkin & Root Vegetable Salad

Serves: 4
Time: 35 minutes

Method

1. Roast the vegetables

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Toss the pumpkin, carrot, beetroot and parsnip with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread the vegetables onto a tray in a single layer.

Roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until the vegetables are tender and caramelised.

Tip: Slight charring enhances the natural sweetness of autumn root vegetables.

2. Make the brown butter dressing

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Continue cooking until the butter foams, turns golden brown, and develops a nutty aroma.

Remove from the heat and whisk in: honey, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard. Season lightly with salt.

3. Assemble the salad

Place the roasted vegetables in a large bowl. Spoon over half the brown butter dressing and gently toss to coat. Fold through the baby rocket and lemon thyme leaves.

4. Finish and serve

Transfer to a serving platter and finish with: crushed Gippsland hazelnuts, remaining brown butter dressing, extra thyme leaves, freshly cracked pepper. Serve warm.

Ingredients

Vegetables

  • 600 g Gippsland pumpkin, peeled and cut into wedges

  • 2 Gippsland carrots, cut into batons

  • 2 medium beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges

  • 1 small parsnip, cut into batons (optional but beautiful in autumn)

Brown Butter Dressing

  • 60 g Victorian butter

  • 2 tbsp Gippsland bush honey

  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme leaves

Garnish

  • 60 g roasted Gippsland hazelnuts, roughly crushed

  • 40 g baby rocket or mustard greens

  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

 

Serving Suggestions

This versatile dish can be served: as a vegetarian main, or alongside roast lamb, duck or grilled fish.
A cool-climate Gippsland Chardonnay or Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with the sweet roasted vegetables and nutty brown butter.

Chef’s Notes

A few simple tricks can elevate this dish:

Cut vegetables into different shapes (wedges and batons) for visual contrast.

Avoid overcrowding the tray — roasting works best when vegetables have space to caramelise.

For extra richness, add a small crumble of fresh goat’s cheese from a Gippsland dairy.


 
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