When it comes to planning a holiday spread, a salad is often an afterthought. Stately roasts, crowd-pleasing potatoes and sultry pies tend to grab the spotlight, and by the time we think, “Oh, yeah, we should probably have a salad,” a bag of mixed lettuces and a container of cherry tomatoes might be all we have the mental bandwidth for.
But there are good reasons to give salad its due consideration. A salad adds some critical lightness and crunch to a hearty meal. It can also be one of the vegetarian offerings that help non-meat-eaters make a real dinner out of what is often a meat-centered holiday feast.
Salads can also be out-and-out beautiful, with very little work. Here, a few types of lettuces mingle with slivers of red onion, tart apples and cranberries, and creamy goat cheese, tied together with a zippy dressing. You could add some chopped pecans or walnuts, or slivered almonds on top if you like (skip this if you are concerned that any of your guests have nut allergies!).
This stunner comes together in 20 minutes, and is a bowl of vibrant color and texture that seems anything but a postscript to the menu.
WINTER GREENS, APPLE, CRANBERRY AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD WITH SHERRY-MUSTARD DRESSING
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 20 minutes
For the sherry-mustard dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon smooth or coarse Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the salad:
1 large head Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise
3 cups baby spinach
1 cup baby arugula
1/2 red onion, thinly slivered
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Nutrition information per serving: 222 calories; 130 calories from fat; 14 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 17 mg cholesterol; 449 mg sodium; 17 g carbohydrate; 8 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 6 g protein.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.