In the Winter, it can be hard work to make salads that excite and inspire the senses, which is precisely why I love this Winter Salad with Green Apples and Golden Beets. It’s chock-full of texture, flavor, and color, the keys to making any salad exciting. And this time of year, when root vegetables are feeling more blessing than burden to me, exciting is very welcome. The bright and beautiful yellow hue of the golden beets cheers me up and drives away the winter blues and using them raw instead of cooking them provides crunch as well as a brighter flavor. The lemony caraway seeds (which you may remember from my kale salad) are an unexpected and delightful addition to the fennel and dill and provide little pops of flavor. The razor thin slices of fruits and vegetables create an easy elegance (and an excuse to get out the mandoline). It’s quite easy to put together and is definitely a change from plain greens and store-bought dressing. All in all, I’m sure you’ll love this Winter Salad with Green Apples and Golden Beets.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon-toasted caraway seeds
- zest of one lemon
- ½ medium shallot; minced
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (white wine, sherry, or champagne are great too)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium golden beets; very thinly sliced on a mandoline
- 2 medium granny smith apples; very thinly sliced on a mandoline
- 1 large fennel bulb; very thinly sliced on a mandoline
- ½ cup dill, chopped
- crème fraîche (optional)
- zest of 2 lemons
- ½ cup caraway seeds
- For ½ cup of caraway seeds*: put one tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the zest of two lemons.
Heat until the lemon begins to curl. Add the caraway seeds. Toast them in the oil. When they smell fragrant (a couple of minutes), remove from the pan and cool. - Chop the dill and mince the shallots.
- Whisk shallots, 3 tablespoons vinegar, Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon toasted caraway seeds in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in ¼ cup olive oil and the zest of one lemon. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper and reserve.
- If the beets aren't nice looking on the outside after you've scrubbed them, you may wish to peel them before you slice them.
- In a large bowl, arrange the apples, beets, dill, and fennel in stripes. Don’t toss with the dressing until you’re ready to serve, as the beets will stain the apple and fennel.
- Sprinkle some of the caraway seeds on top. A little dallop of crème fraîche is lovely as well.
- *I love these just as a delicious snack and make them ½ to 1 cup at a time, but you can just make enough for the recipe if you like. You can make these in advance, and once you have, you may decide to keep them around all the time. I do. And they’re great to have around to brighten up a boring salad.
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Barrett,
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve added it to the Farm Fresh Feasts Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks who love to eat from the farm share.
I appreciate it!
Thanks. Glad to be a part of your visual index.