Chef notes
I tend to be ambitious and experimental with the menu when I’m entertaining. I love the opportunity to share a mix of tried-and-true recipes alongside newly discovered favorites with those I love, even if that means spending a somewhat stressful day in the kitchen with a cacophony of clanging pans and timers around me. But this simple salad is one dish I always keep on the menu — and, in the spirit of simple pleasures being the best kind, it’s the recipe that my friends ask me for the most.
It’s inspired by a salad my mom has been making for family dinners and parties for at least a decade. Vegetables are a hard sell for a few of my family members, but “Susan’s Salad” has managed to earn a permanent place as the one speck of green in our pasta-heavy spreads. Reminiscent of the fruit, cheese and nut salads found at my favorite modern Italian-American restaurants, it’s a refreshing way to start off a hearty meal — and it’s deceivingly simple to make.
I typically toast plain nuts (whichever soft kind I have on hand), but if you have a few extra minutes to spare, I recommend using them to make quick candied nuts, like in this version. A simple coating of melted coconut oil and brown sugar cranks both the flavor and crunch up a notch. Once cooled and crushed (I like to leave some big chunks intact), combine the candied nuts with spinach, peaches and a generous helping of goat cheese. The key is to use very ripe (or even slightly over ripe) peaches. Along with the goat cheese, they give the salad a delightfully creamy texture.
I find that this salad doesn’t need much in the way of dressing, thanks to the initial toss, which coats the greens in the creamy cheese and releases some juices from the peach. You can lightly dress it with a homemade balsamic, but I prefer to drizzle olive oil and a store-bought fig-balsamic glaze — no whisking required!
Serve this salad at summer cookouts (Labor Day is around the corner!) along with your favorite grilling recipes, or whip it up on its own for a healthy lunch.
Technique Tip: Prepare and toast the candied walnuts up to one day in advance. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Swap Option: Texture wise, I like ripe peaches best, but this salad is also delicious with other fruits such as strawberries, blueberries or grapes. Swap the walnuts for pecans or cashews. If you can’t find fig-balsamic glaze, regular balsamic glaze will do the trick. Avoid balsamic vinegar, which is much thinner than glaze — though in a pinch you can make your own glaze by reducing a combination of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar on the stove.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 1½ teaspoons refined coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 ounces baby spinach, spring mix or mixed greens
- 1 ripe peach, 1/2-inch dice
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 teaspoons fig-balsamic glaze, such as Roland
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Make the candied walnuts:
1.Preheat the oven to 325 F with a rack positioned in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.In a medium bowl, toss the walnuts with the coconut oil, brown sugar and salt.
3.Arrange the walnuts in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly toasted, flipping halfway through and taking care not to let them burn. Let cool.
4. Place the cooled walnuts in a sealed zip-top bag and crush them with the bottom of a measuring cup, leaving some large chunks intact. Alternatively, you can roughly chop them with a knife.
Assemble the salad:
Place the spinach, cubed peaches, goat cheese and candied walnuts in a large serving bowl. Toss gently to combine.
2.Drizzle the fig balsamic glaze and olive oil over the salad. Season with salt and black pepper. Toss to coat, then serve immediately.
