I’m not really a salad person. That’s about the understatement of the century. I generally make it a point to avoid salad at all costs.
But to be fair, a salad is usually just flavorless lettuce with maybe a couples toppings that don’t even really go together. Plus some kind of seasoning-less creamy dressing that drenches everything. Appetizing, huh? Let’s be honest, how many of you actually get excited for the salad course in the grand scheme of dinner?
Assuming not many of you.
The salad for salad-haters.
This salad is fun because there’s no lettuce involved. Just brussels sprouts, bacon, apple and this bomb vinaigrette.
The flavor combo on this is so good. Slight bitterness and freshness from the brussels, sweetness from the apple, saltiness from the bacon and some spicy tang from the vinegar to round it out.
This is a salad I can get behind. The brussels sprouts are shaved into thin little pieces so the bitterness isn’t overwhelming. And you get all the elements of this salad in each bite.
Save time & make it ahead.
And if you were waiting for this salad to get even more awesome, you can make it ahead of time. Leave it undressed (scandal!) and keep the dressing in a separate jar.
Or dress it ahead of time. I actually think dressing it the day before helps give the flavors time to come together a little more. Permission to make it ahead of time: granted!
The must-have kitchen slicer.
Using a mandoline is the key to getting those tiny shavings of brussels. You can shave brussels more thinly and do it much more quickly with a mandoline than using a knife.
We love our mandoline. It can let you turn zucchini into thinly sliced “noodles” for wheat-free lasagne or “tortillas” for paleo enchiladas, or thinly slice fruits and veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes or apples for homemade chips. Game. Changer.
Now grab yourself a mandoline, shred up some brussels and go make your mama proud and eat your veggies. But first, cover them in bacon.
[cooked-recipe id=”2508″]
