From Cook’s Illustrated | November/December 2015
Why this recipe works:
Our Brussels sprout salad is dressed in a warm bacon (side note, no bacon in the original recipe either so I’m not sure about this comment) vinaigrette that gently tenderizes the sprouts while letting them retain their fresh, mustardy flavor. Bites of quick-pickled shallot add pop to the salad. We dress the salad in the skillet before transferring it to a serving bowl.
Serves 6
A food processor’s slicing blade can be used to slice the Brussels sprouts, but the salad will be less tender.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 shallot, halved through root end and sliced thin crosswise
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin
- 1 1/2 cups baby arugula, chopped
- 4 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved into thin strips using vegetable peeler
Instructions
- Whisk lemon juice, mustard, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Add shallot and cranberries, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave until steaming, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir briefly to submerge shallot and cranberries. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add hazelnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until butter is dark golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in shallot mixture. Add Brussels sprouts and arugula and toss with tongs until dressing is evenly distributed and sprouts darken slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl. Add Manchego and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.