Fall Salad: Taking a Breather from Thanksgiving

When you've had enough dressing and cranberries (or even when you haven't), it's time for this satisfying Fall Salad.

Who’s ready for something crunchy?

Even if this weekend is going to be all about yesterday’s leftovers – turkey, dressing, cranberry sandwich anyone? – at some point, we’re all going to need to chill out on the pie and eat something semi-virtuous. 

But hey, I still want sustenance to taste good. Which is why we are making this Fall Salad again and again, whether or not we’re feeling a bit overindulged.

This salad’s got it all: Crunchy apple, creamy blue cheese, salty prosciutto, nutty pepitas. The dressing is a tad on the sweet side, but just enough shallot balances that out, and thyme adds the right subtle herby note. Everyone who has been to dinners where I’ve served this (sometimes on its own as a meal) has raved. It’s like there’s some kind of secret trick to pulling it off, when really it’s the easiest thing in the world to assemble. 

Even our resident Caesar-salad-only-please eater asks for this salad. I really can’t say more than that.

Fall Salad

Ingredients for the dressing:
½ shallot, minced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Ingredients for the salad:
4 cups mixed greens (I love Central Market’s Baby Arugula, Spinach and Herb Blend)
½ Honeycrisp apple, cut into thin matchsticks
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
3 ounces prosciutto, torn into small pieces
¼ cup roasted and salted pepitas

Recipe directions: 
In a small bowl, stir together the shallot and vinegar. Let this sit on the counter for 10 minutes or so, until the shallots mellow a bit. Whisk in the olive oil, and then the honey. Add the thyme, salt and pepper, and give it all a stir.

On a large platter or in a large bowl, layer the greens, then the apple slices, then the crumbled cheese. Scatter pieces of the prosciutto over top, then sprinkle with the pepitas. Drizzle enough dressing over the salad to coat the leaves when tossed. You will probably have extra dressing, which you can save in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s version of a Fall Salad.