the holiday salad
This is, in my opinion, THE salad for holiday dinners. It checks all the boxes for heavy meals - it’s bright, crunchy and it can be made ahead. The salad is technically vegan and gluten-free if that is relevant to you or your loved ones. The sturdy kale and Brussels sprout base holds up well as leftovers and the fried shallots make sure it doesn’t feel too snobby or virtuous for your mashed potatoes. Do what my family does and serve this alongside everything else - this salad is sweet relief when you can’t possibly take another bite of stuffing/ham/latkes/etc. After a few bites, you’ll feel ready to dive back into the heavier stuff.
yield 12 servings (as part of a larger meal)
riffing
swap honey for the maple syrup
add some julienned green apple
use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the dressing
sub any nut or some toasted pepitas for almonds
maple vinaigrette
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 T maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
date pickled onion
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
4-7 dates, pitted and sliced lengthwise
2 T champagne vinegar
fried shallots
4 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
1/2 cup neutral high heat oil (I use sunflower or safflower oil)
salad and assembly
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
2 bunches Lacinato/Dino kale, center ribs removed and sliced into half inch strips
1/2-1 cup thinly sliced radish, any variety (optional)
1 fuyu persimmon, thinly shaved (optional)
1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
recipe prep
For the vinaigrette, combine the first four ingredients. Drizzle the olive oil in slowly while whisking continuously so the dressing is creamy and emulsified. You could also make this in a food processor or a heavily-shaken mason jar. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.
To make the date pickled onions, combine dates and onions in a bowl and pour vinegar over. Mix around with a fork or your hands to make sure it gets all in there. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a little pepper and let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Heat oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Once it's hot enough (if you dip a shallot in it will start to sizzle immediately), add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spatula and immediately sprinkle with salt. Try not to eat them all as a snack.
To assemble, toss Brussels sprouts and kale with half of the dressing, making sure everything is coated. Cover and transfer to the fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour before serving. Remove from fridge and add more dressing as desired. Add onion mixture and toss. If using, toss half of radishes and persimmon with the greens and scatter the rest on top. Drizzle with a couple spoonfuls of remaining dressing (if you have it and only if you want to!). Sprinkle with almonds and crispy shallots and serve it to the people!
save the shallot oil Reserved frying oil can be used for roasting vegetables, salad dressing and wherever else you’d like to infuse shallot flavor into dishes!
do it ahead Kale and Brussels sprouts can be prepped a day ahead and stored in a resealable plastic bag with the air pressed out. Dressing can be made 1-2 days ahead (shake it up before use if it separates). Pickled onions can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the fridge, but let them sit out at room temperature for 30 min to 1 hour (or longer, who cares!) before use so the dates soften. Radishes can be sliced the day before and stored in the fridge submerged in water (drain and pat dry before use). Persimmon can be sliced 1 day ahead and chilled. Fried shallots are best day-of, but can be made a few hours ahead and set aside at room temperature. About 30 minutes to an hour before serving time, start the assembly process.
