You want people to come to Thanksgiving dinner for the creamy mashed potatoes and buttery stuffing, but stay for the salad. Here's the thing: We all know we need something fresh and light and bracing to balance out all the heavy stuff that takes up most of the plate, but don’t let your greens be the sad afterthought that people serve themselves to feel virtuous, but in the end leave mostly untouched. (In fact, who says your salads have to be green at all?) With standouts like these crunchy, shaved vegetables and chicory with a sharp-yet-perfectly-balanced vinaigrette, your guests will eat every bite–and even go back for seconds.
Some Shaved Vegetable Salad Tips
With no cleaning and drying a bunch of greens, this is the most low-maintenance salad of all time. The only tool you need is a mandoline (and if you don’t already have one, you should).
You can shave your veg ahead—even the day before—and then store them in ice water so they stay crunchy until you assemble.
The seasoning and dressing needs to be aggressive here to bring the root vegetables to life, so don’t skimp on the lemons and salt and pepper, even if it seems like a lot.
Some Chicory Salad Tips
Choose a lettuce that won’t wilt. In the chicory family there’s raddichio, endive, escarole—the list goes on. They’re sturdy and will hold up sitting on the table once they’re tossed.
The play between honey and mustard in the dressing is crucial with such a simple salad. You get sharpness from the mustard and a bit of sweetness from the honey. It’s the perfect balance.
We chose pecans for crunch to keep it festive, but you can go with anything. Even try a seed like sunflower or pepitas.
