Author Notes
Are you tired of forgetting about your salads the minute your entree arrives? Do you need more Superfoods in your life? Are you comfortable enough with your lifestyle to walk around with garlic breath and sparkling-clear sinuses? This salad is for you. Improbably addictive, yet still rather healthy (I think?), it combines a pungent roasted garlic-horseradish dressing with sturdy kale, crunchy sunchoke, and rich little walnuts. It is super yum. - MeghanVK —MeghanVK
Test Kitchen Notes
If you've never eaten kale raw, this recipe shows how it shines uncooked as much as it does cooked. And if you're already on board with straight-up kale, you'll be pleased to be acquainted with this incarnation -- it’s unique, super-tasty, and easy. Imagine a creamy Caesar-like dressing ever-so-slightly amped up by the addition of roasted garlic and fresh horseradish root. Sliced raw sunchokes add a refreshing crunch. Kale leaves are sturdy and can hold up against wilting for a couple of hours, so this is a great salad to make in advance. (How many salads can you say that about?) Top with toasted walnuts just before serving and you're set. - Nora S —Nora S
Ingredients
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1
head garlic, plus a dash of salt and olive oil
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1 bunch
kale
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1
medium sunchoke
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1/3 cup
walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
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1 teaspoon
lemon juice
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1
egg yolk
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2 tablespoons
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
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1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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3/4 cup
olive oil
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1 tablespoon
grated horseradish root
Directions
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Turn the oven to 375 and prep the garlic for roasting: slice off the very top of the garlic head, remove as much of the papery coating as possible, and break into cloves. Arrange in a small dish and sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When a thin knife easily slides through one of the cloves, the garlic is done: remove from the oven and allow to cool.
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Meanwhile, wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise and remove the rib down the center. Slice horizontally into thin strips, so they are less than a half-inch wide. Slice the sunchoke into thin but not quite translucent disks, and set aside with the kale.
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Squeeze the garlic out of their cloves into a blender. Add the lemon juice, egg yolk, cheese, black pepper and 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and blend. Pour in the remaining oil through the top of the blender as it whirs. Stir in the horseradish. Taste and correct for seasoning. Due to the cheese, it may not need any salt. Note: you can adjust the quantity of roasted garlic if you find it frightening.
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Toss the dressing with the kale, sunchokes, and walnuts (I am a big advocate of coating the salad bowl with dressing first, adding the vegetables, and then turning the salad about with tongs to coat everything). While the salad is tasty right away, it's better after two hours or so. Enjoy cool or at room temperature.
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