Apple and Spinach Salad with Cheddar
This recipe makes 8 servings
- Portion size: 8
Apple and cheese don't always mean pie. Here, with spinach, nuts and a zesty dressing, the apple/cheese combo makes a hearty salad. Try Spartan, Northern Spy, Rome Beauty or Winesap for this salad. Cortland apples, if available, are the very best salad apples because they don't discolour.
Ingredients
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Dressing
- 1/3 cup 1/3cupolive oil
- 2 tbsp 2tbspwine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp 1/2tspDijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp 1/2tspsalt
- 1/4 tsp 1/4tspfreshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup 1/4cupsour cream
- 1/4 cup 1/4cupfinely chopped green oniongreen onions
- Tabasco sauce, to taste Salad
- 1 lb 1lbspinach, (about 1 1/2 pkg)
- 2 2appleapples
- 2 tbsp 2tbsplemon juice
- 1/3 cup 1/3cuptoasted slivered almonds or fresh walnuts
- 1-1/2 cups 1-1/2cupsgrated old white Cheddar cheese or Gruyère cheese
Preparation
Dressing: Combine all ingredients, adding a dash of Tabasco sauce; cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Taste, adding more salt if desired.
Salad: Rinse spinach thoroughly in cold water; drain. Remove coarse stems and shake or spin off excess water. Wrap in towelling until just before serving time.
Break spinach into large bite-sized pieces. Core and dice unpeeled apples, then toss with lemon juice. In large salad bowl, arrange spinach, then mound apples in center. Surround apples with circle of nuts; sprinkle cheese in band around inside edge of bowl.
Bring salad to table, pause for admiration of your arrangement, pour on the dressing, toss and serve.
