Fall Panzanella

• Preheat oven to 425. Prepare the croutons: Using leftover bread (sourdough or other), tear the bread into about 1 inch pieces. Spread the bread pieces on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for about 12 minutes, until crisp.
• Strip the kale. Rip or chop it into small pieces and massage it for about 2 minutes to make it tender. Peel, halve, seed, and cube the squash. {You could roast up the seeds to throw on top of the salad!} Toss it in some extra virgin olive oil and roast for about 25 minutes, flipping and rotating the pan halfway through.
• Toss the sliced red onion with the vinegar and let sit for 15 minutes (called maceration). Set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette (see below).
• Place half of the croutons and the kale in a large salad bowl and toss with 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fry the sage in a neutral-flavored oil. Oil should be hot enough that the sage leaves will sizzle when inserted. Work in batches, setting the sage on a paper towel as it finishes. Sprinkle it with flaky sea salt. It will continue to crisp as it cools.
• Finish assembling: Add remainder of croutons, squash, hazelnuts, macerated onions (without their vinegar), into the bowl. Crumble the sage on top. Dress with the rest of the vinaigrette, mix well to combine. Add the macerating vinegar in as needed.

Brown Butter Vinaigrette

• In a jar, let the shallot or onion sit in the vinegars for 15 minutes (called maceration).
• Brown your butter by swirling it in a light colored pan for a few minutes until it smells nutty and looks golden. Discard as much sediment as possible. Let cool a bit.
• Add to the vinegar/shallot mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir or shake well.