Most would say a salad has no place on the Thanksgiving table. I tend to agree, but this particular salad has me a bit swayed. The combination of beets, apples, grapes, pumpkin seeds, and the best dressing I have ever tasted could change your opinion too. To tell you the truth, it’s actually all about the dressing on this one. A creamy, tangy lime dressing that could be eaten with a spoon instead of on a piece of lettuce.
As far as ingredients go, it is an easy salad to make. The only part that is time consuming is roasting the beets. They are not hard to cook, but they take about an hour to roast. My solution is to pop them in the oven while the turkey is cooking. The hour will go by quickly and then the beets just have to cool for a little before putting them in the salad. The rest of the ingredients are a quick chop. So if you are looking for a side dish this holiday, be the one to volunteer for the most delicious salad anyone has ever tried...
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your turkey!
Baby Lettuces with Beets and Creme Fraiche
Serves 6
12-14 Cups Baby Lettuces, cleaned and dried
3 Medium Size Beets, roasted, peeled , sliced into 8 pieces
1 Cup of Grapes, sliced in half
1 Apple, Sliced into matchsticks or cubes
1/3 Cup of Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (also called pepitas)
2 Tablespoons of Fresh Herbs: Chives, Chervil, Cilantro, cleaned, cut if needed
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Lime Crème Fraiche Dressing
½ Cup of Crème Fraiche
2 Limes, Juice and zest of 1 lime
Sea Salt To Taste
Fresh Ground Pepper To Taste
1. For the salad: Place the beets in parchment paper or aluminum foil with the skin on. Drizzle the beets with a little olive oil and salt. Seal tightly and roast them at 425 degrees for 55 minutes or until a fork slides into the beet with no resistance. Allow the beets to cool and then pull the skin off of them with your fingers or a peeler.
Assemble the lettuce, herbs, grapes, apples, beets, and seeds in a large mixing bowl.
2. For the dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl and taste for seasoning.
3. To finish the salad: Pour some of the dressing into the greens and toss. Add more as you go to make sure it is well dressed. Taste for seasoning and serve.
To make it ahead: The beets can be roasted the day before and the dressing can be made the day before. The grapes and the lettuces can be prepped a day ahead and can be stored separately. The herbs should be cut a few hours ahead and stored in a container in the fridge. Toss the salad with the dressing, pumpkin seeds, and the other ingredients right before it is to be served.