The Best Apple Walnut Salad
Prep
15m
Cook
5m
Total
20m
Bigly says
I want to talk about apple walnut salad. We're going CLASSIC today. Classic. Timeless. The kind of salad that's been around forever — apples and walnuts, walnuts and apples, the original power couple, the Romeo and Juliet of the produce aisle except they actually GET ALONG, no tragic ending, just crunch, just sweetness, just tremendous balance. My grandmother made this every fall. She was a tough woman. She did not tolerate mealy apples. She did not tolerate stale walnuts. She would inspect each apple like she was checking a used car, and I learned everything I know about salad from her elbow. I've had apple walnut salad in every state since. Twice.
And here's the thing about apple walnut salad. Here's the part most so-called chefs WON'T tell you — the secret is the walnuts. You don't just throw walnuts on a salad. That's amateur hour. That's sad walnut behavior. You TOAST them. You toast the walnuts. Maybe with a little maple syrup, a little salt, a little cayenne, you make them CANDIED — and candied walnuts on a salad, that's not a salad anymore, that's a religious moment. That's a moment of clarity. That's the kind of moment you tell your grandchildren about.
Add a sharp cheese, a tart apple, some baby greens, a maple-cider vinaigrette — and we're not done, there's more, there's always more with Bigly — and you've got a salad that beats every restaurant salad you've ever ordered. EVERY one. The fancy ones. The ones with the chef who comes out to talk to you. He comes out, he talks to you, and his salad is STILL not as good as this one. Sad for him. Big mistake on his part. Not even close.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cupwalnut halves
- 2 tbspmaple syrup(real maple, the fake stuff is a CRIME)
- 1/4 tspkosher salt
- pinchcayenne pepper(optional, for a little heat)
- 6 cupsmixed baby greens (arugula, spinach, baby kale)
- 1 largeHoneycrisp or Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced(tart, crisp, never mealy)
- 1/2 cupsharp white cheddar or blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cupdried cranberries
- 1/4red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tbspapple cider vinegar
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tbspmaple syrup (for dressing)
- 1/4 cupextra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tspkosher salt (for dressing)
- 1/4 tspblack pepper
Steps
- 1
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant.
- 2
Add the 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/4 tsp salt, and cayenne to the skillet. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the syrup thickens and coats the walnuts. Transfer to parchment paper and spread out to cool — they harden as they cool.
- 3
In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon, 1 tbsp maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- 4
In a large bowl, combine the baby greens, sliced apple, crumbled cheese, dried cranberries, and red onion.
- 5
Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Add more dressing if needed — do not drown it.
- 6
Break the cooled candied walnuts into smaller pieces and scatter over the top.
- 7
Serve immediately, while the apples are crisp and the walnuts are crunchy.
One more thing
This is the salad you bring out when the weather turns cold and the leaves start changing and people start wearing sweaters and pretending they don't hate sweaters. It's autumn in a bowl. It's a hug from a tree, if a tree could hug, which it can't, trees don't have arms, but you know what I mean. Make this. Eat this. Make it again. The apples will thank you. The walnuts will thank you. The whole produce aisle will thank you. Save me a piece.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Best Apple Walnut Salad.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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