The apple is tart; the celery has a saline minerality; and the sunchokes provide earthiness. Treble, alto, and bass. Walnuts add the sweetness and fat, which really ties the salad together.
Sunchoke & Apple Salad
- 1/2 cup walnuts (roughly chopped)
- 4 large celery stalks (peeled and thinly sliced, and 1/4 cup leaves chopped)
- 1 head fennel (trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise, fronds reserved)
- 1 large sunchoke (5 ounces, peeled and thinly sliced (1 cup))
- 1 large Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored, and thinly sliced)
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 garlic clove (grated through a fine grater or minced)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Toast walnuts in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. (Do not burn!) Transfer nuts to a sieve and cool, then rub off and discard bitter skins.
- Place sliced celery, fennel, sunchoke, and apple in a bowl of cold water. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice and refrigerate.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining lemon juice, mustard, garlic, honey, and salt. Whisk in oil and season with pepper.
- Drain chilled celery, fennel, and sunchokes and dry in a salad spinner or blot with a paper towel. Combine celery, fennel, sunchokes, celery leaves, walnuts, and apples. Toss with dressing before
- serving. Garnish with fennel fronds.
