Autumn Salad with Fried Potatoes & Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

This salad is dying to be your Monday night dinner. 

It is a little high maintenance in the salad world, but definitely doable on a weeknight, especially if you give yourself a hand and do some prep ahead of time.  

Nothing too crazy, just roasting some nuts.  It's a great mid-morning project, but you will have to hide them somewhere secret if they are going to make it until dinner time.  Or maybe you are better at restraint than I am.  I have a small problem with spiced nuts, I just cannot help myself.  Even when I know they have been sitting in that street vendor's glass heater for a solid eighteen hours I just have to get that warm cone of happiness in my hands. 

This was my first experience with spiced hazelnuts, and they did not disappoint.  I could absolutely have eaten this entire pan by myself. 

I love the sweet, spicy crunch they added to this salad, which is really just a menagerie of all my favorite things. 

Fried potatoes, bacon, apples, crumbled stilton, and, of course, the hazelnuts, all covered in a warm, bacon vinaigrette.  So many wonderful things and we still get to feel good about our choices because hey, it's a salad! 

I love making this salad on weeknights because it is so hearty and filling.  Typically, I do not go much for meatless meals (I don't think bacon counts as meat), but I love making this for dinner!  The potatoes really make it feel like a full meal. 

This recipe can totally be tailored to your tastes.  I make different variations on this same salad depending on what I have in the house.  Trade the apples for pears or exchange the hazelnuts for pecans - it's all up to you! 

Just please make the spiced nuts.  You need them in your life, you really do. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Autumn Salad with Fried Potatoes and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette 

serves 4-8

Cook's Note: If you are planning on serving this as a main dish, it will generously serve four.  As a side, it can stretch to serve six to eight. 

for the spiced hazelnuts

(recipe adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen) 

• 1/2 lb roasted, unsalted hazelnuts
• 1 large egg white 
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium mixing bowl combine egg white and water and beat with an electric mixer until frothy and thick, but not stiff.  Fold the hazelnuts into the egg white mixture and stir to coat. 

In a small bowl, combine sugars, salt, and spices.  Sprinkle the spice mixture over the hazelnuts and stir to coat. 

Spread the nuts evenly over the prepared baking sheet and bake for thirty minutes, stirring every ten minutes.  Allow the nuts to cool completely and break up any that have stuck together.  Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag. 

for the salad

Cook's Note: I prefer to make individual salads so that everyone gets a bit of everything, but you could just as easily toss everything together and serve family style. 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes 
• 8 cups mixed greens
• 2 crisp apples (I used Winesap), cut into cubes 
• 1 cup crumbled cranberry stilton, crumbled*
• 1 cup spiced hazelnuts 
• chopped bacon 
• bacon vinaigrette 

*Cook's Note: I buy my cranberry stilton at Trader Joe's but I have seen it at other grocery stores as well.  If you cannot find it, you could use a blue stilton here or even crumbled feta.  

Place a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat and heat olive oil until shimmering. 

Add the potatoes and kosher salt and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are deep golden and crisp; about 15-20 minutes.  (You may wish to begin preparing the ingredients for the vinaigrette during this time.)

Divide the greens amongst four bowls or place in one large salad bowl.  Top with the warm, fried potatoes, apples, stilton, hazelnuts, and chopped bacon.  Drizzle with the warm bacon vinaigrette and serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

for the bacon vinaigrette

• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

Cook's Note: I recommend making the bacon vinaigrette last so that it will still be warm when you serve the salad. 

Place bacon in a medium frying pan and cook over medium high heat until crispy.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan, reserving the drippings.  Add the cooked bacon to the salad. 

Pour the rendered bacon fat into a jar and add mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice; whisk to combine.  Add the olive oil and top the jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Shake until the vinaigrette is smooth and homogenous.  

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Weeknight Winter Salad

I finally found it. 

This is my salad. 

For nearly 22 years, I have thrown greens into a bowl, mixed up a seemingly-promising dressing, and tried to fall in love…but to no avail. 

Until now, aside from my obsession with this salad several years go, I never had my salad - a salad that I just could not get enough of, and one that I would actually choose over pasta (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but this is as close as greens can get).

On a cold December evening, instead of turning to my new favorite pizza recipe, I threw this salad together and - hurrah!  

I think it’s the combination of the warm chicken atop the crisp greens that gets me. 

I’ve never been a fan of cold meals.  Which also explains my ambivalence to subs and my inability to jump on the smoothie bowl wagon.  

When I sit down to a meal, I want something warm and comforting, and this salad is both. 

It’s also incredibly versatile. 

I change out the fruit and nuts depending on what I have on hand, but I always keep the sweet and tangy dressing my constant. 

Apples are probably my favorite salad accessory.  I pick up a few every week reserved especially for sprinkling over greens.

Have you discovered Envy apples yet?  They are the new and improved Honey Crisp in our home and I’m kind of obsessed with their cheery golden hue. 

While I switch out the components for variety, I try to stick to a pattern.

Two fruits.  My current favorites being pomegranate arils and chopped apples.

Chopped nuts.  While we like walnuts, I prefer them saved for brownies so pecans are my go-to here.

Finely grated cheese.  Parmesan is a must, and please be generous.  I use my microplane to grate the cheese super fine. 

Protein.  While a leftover N.Y. strip is a delicious addition, chicken breasts, simply cooked and sliced thinly, are our favorite. 

A sweet and tangy honey lemon dressing is the blending factor for the separate components. 

We are having this salad for dinner at least once a week right now.  My infatuation with it has lasted over a month, which is pretty good considering that I get bored with most things after about thirty-six hours. 

This, is my salad, let it be yours too.  Who needs a juice cleanse when you can join this bandwagon and still have cheese?  

Best of both worlds, I'd say. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Weeknight Winter Salad

serves 2

for the dressing

- 3 tablespoons honey 

- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

- freshly ground black pepper 

- 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I like a light, fruity oil for this dressing)

In a small bowl or jar, use a fork to whisk the lemon juice into the honey.  Stir in balsamic, salt, pepper, and parmesan.  

Slowly whisk in olive oil, until the dressing is homogenous. 

for the chicken

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

- sea salt & black pepper

Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper. 

Heat olive oil in a medium, nonstick frying pan over medium heat.

When the oil begins to shimmer, add chicken.  Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, until the breasts are crisp and the internal temperature reads 160*-165 degrees.

Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly. 

*I try to take my chicken off at 160 degrees because carry-over heat takes care of the extra five degrees.  However, you should always stick to your comfort zone and buy your meat from a reliable supplier.   

add-ins & assembly

- 4 cups spring greens 

- 1/2 apple, cut into cubes (go for crisp apples like honey crisp, envy, or pink lady)

- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils 

- 1/3 cup pecans 

- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan 

Divide prepared dressing between two bowls.  Place two cups of greens in each bowl and top with chopped apples, pomegranate, pecans, and warm, sliced chicken.  Toss to combine and sprinkle with parmesan.  Enjoy!  

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Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples

We are getting really close to that wonderful holiday where it is completely socially acceptable to have four different carbs on your plate at one time.  Thanksgiving is an amazing product of commercialized American heritage, and I love every single part of it.

This is the time where everyone is telling you how to bake the very best mashed potatoes, that are undeniably different than any other recipe for mashed potatoes, and which turkey brine you simply have to use.  (I highly recommend Alton Brown’s.)  Unfortunately, with all this attention directed to the lavish array of side dishes and the iconic Norman Rockwellesc turkey, the prelude to the feast is often grossly overlooked.  We must not let another year go by without reclaiming the first course and bringing it back to its full glory!  Ready?  Let’s get started.

Thanksgiving is a game of time.  It requires strategic planning and precise execution, so the last thing we need is one more thing to take up a lot of preparation or oven time.  This is why many choose to mitigate the homemade appetizers and settle for a boring crudites.  I promise that with minimal effort, you can create an appetizer which is equally as tempting and delicious as your second course. 

If I could only eat one cheese for the rest of my life I would unreservedly choose brie.  It’s rich, creamy, and oh-so-versatile.  

For this recipe we begin by caramelizing some apples with brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.  You can caramelize your apples ahead of time and heat them up just before serving to save yourself some time. 

The brie is baked for a few minutes, just to warm it up.  The hot caramelized apples are poured directly over the brie along with a good sprinkling of sliced almonds.  

I like to serve mine with crostini but you can certainly substitute crackers if you wish. 

It takes me exactly 7.36 minutes to demolish 1/4 pound of brie.

 Let’s make our first course as spectacular as our second this year.  Happy Holiday!!

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

P.S. If brie is not your jam then you might want to try out this Balsamic-Roasted Grape Crostini.

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Baked Brie with Caramelized Apples 

serves 6 (or one very hungry lady) 

- 1/3 cup brown sugar 

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

- 1 large apple, peeled and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups) 

- pinch of kosher salt 

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

- 1/2 lb triple cream Brie 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a small bowl combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.  Sprinkle over apples and toss to coat.  

In a small sauté pan melt butter over medium heat.  When the butter has melted add apple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-12 minutes or until the apples are soft and a thick caramel has formed.  Remove from heat and reserve. 

Place the Brie on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the Brie begins to melt.  

Pour the caramelized apples over the baked Brie and serve immediately with crostini or crackers.  Enjoy!! 

For crostini:  Set your oven to its broiler setting.  Slice a baguette into slices 1/2 inch thick. Brush one side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.   

Bake for 2-4 minutes or until the toasts are golden brown.  Can be made one day in advance.