Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad ~ have you ever seen a prettier salad?ย Paper thin rounds of winter root veggies are stacked and then lightly dressed with olive oil and a balsamic glaze.ย This is the ultimate winter salad!
I’m pretty sure you’ve never had a salad quite like this before, this little stack of finely shaved winter veggies isn’t your run of the mill starter.ย But you’ll be happy to hear it’s a cinch to put together, provided you’ve got a selection of root vegetables, and a mandolin.ย You need the mandolin because these colorful vegetables are sliced paper thin.ย
TIP: There’s thin, and then there’s THIN.ย These slices should ideally be translucent and flexible.ย Take a few practice swings with your mandolin until you get it right.ย
When you slice something this thinly, even a vegetable as tough as beets can be enjoyed raw.ย I love them this way, they’re crunchy like carrots, and the beet flavor is all there.ย The thin slicing also blunts the sharp spicy bite of the radishes, and makes them more palatable.ย ย It’s a fun new way to get your daily veggie quotient in mid-winter when vegetables can get pretty drab
If you thought radishes were just a garnish, think again.ย Radishes have the ability to cleanse the digestive system and break down toxins in the body.ย they aid digestion, and, like their siblings in the cruciferous family, fight cancer!
I used several different types of root veggies in my shaved winter vegetable salad ~ it pays to really scour your produce section for unusual varieties.ย One day I found the beautiful watermelon radishes, and then I spotted some black radishes, and envisioned the salad from there.ย I chose smallish beets, both golden and red, and I wish I had gotten some beautiful pink and white chioggia beets (see them in my Pink Beet Chips recipe) but there were none to be found.ย I grabbed some carrots in a couple of different colors, and the bunch of pink, purple, and white baby radishes was a lucky last minute find.
TIP:ย Once you got your vegetables sliced, stack them on top of lettuce, or dill fronds, starting with the largest, graduating up to the smallest.
Once the salad is assembled, dribble on a bit of your best olive oil, a few drops of balsamic glaze, and get ready to impress!ย Note that this salad is best presented on individual plates, but you can also make shaved salads on a platter, too, like I did with my Shaved Apple and Radish Salad.
Other root vegetables to try in a shaved winter vegetable salad:
- yams
- sweet potato
- parsnips
- turnips
- rutabagas
- kohlrabi
- jicama
- Jerusalem artichokes
Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small golden beet
- 1 small red beet
- 1 black radish
- 1 watermelon radish
- 1 orange carrot
- 1 purple rainbow carrot
- 4 small radishes
- 4 lettuce leaves or one bunch of fresh dill
- olive oil
- balsamic glaze or pomegranate molasses
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Scrub the beets and the large radishes but do not peel. Trim the leafy stem end off and slice on the 1/8 inch setting of your mandolin. This may take a bit of trial and error to get the slices just right. You want them to be thin and almost translucent. Put the slices on a wet plate and cover with a wet kitchen towel while you work.
- Peel the carrots and slice them the same way. Be very careful of your fingers when you are doing this. Use the safety guard provided with your mandolin whenever possible.
- To assemble your salads, put a layer of dill or a leaf or two of lettuce on each of 4 small plates.
- Start with the largest rounds and layer the vegetables in a loose stack. Top with the smaller carrots.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve right away.
notes:
- Slice the vegetables ahead if you need to, but keep them crisp under a wet towel in the refrigerator and assemble your salads at the last minute.
- If you want more of a full classic salad, put several leaves of lettuce down first, then a thin round of red onion, and top with the shaved vegetables.ย
Don’t forget to pin this Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad!
24 Comments
Mia Myers
January 23, 2017 at 1:06 pmBeautiful! How do I create a link to my Rainbow Beet Collection? There’s more to beets than borscht!
Mia Myers
SmartSeeds
Laura | Tutti Dolci
January 17, 2017 at 9:58 pmJust gorgeous, those stacked colors are so enticing! Almost too pretty to eat – I’m sure this salad tastes as great as it looks. ๐
Monique
January 17, 2017 at 4:55 amGorgeous colors..you have always made beautiful salads.
Sue
January 17, 2017 at 7:23 pmThanks Monique, I love to make them!
Anna
January 16, 2017 at 5:01 pmWhat a beautiful piece of edible art! I love your imagination and always look forward to your posts the most:))
Sue
January 16, 2017 at 6:40 pmI love to hear that, thanks Anna <3
cheri
January 16, 2017 at 1:25 pmGorgeous salad Sue, love all the beautiful color.
Alexandra
January 16, 2017 at 1:14 pmThis is much like having a great time in the art class! Wonderful synthesis of colors and textures, Sue!
Mary
January 16, 2017 at 11:28 amsimply beautiful – so healthful and delicious.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
January 16, 2017 at 8:56 amAbsolutely beautiful, Sue! Love everything about this salad. Heading off to the store today in search of some veggies to make this with ๐
Katrin
January 16, 2017 at 7:56 amThis salad looks just incredible! So vibrant!
annie
January 16, 2017 at 7:47 amI adore root veggies! I love how you made them truly shine in this lovely salad.
Sue
January 16, 2017 at 7:52 amThanks Annie ~ the colors are surprisingly brilliant, especially those beets.
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
January 16, 2017 at 7:36 amSuch a beautiful salad and so good for you. Great photos, makes me want to make this tonight.
Sue
January 16, 2017 at 7:39 amThanks Bintu ~ I’d love to see what you come up with!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
January 16, 2017 at 7:34 amWell this is the most gorgeous, colorful, salad I’ve ever seen! I want to run out and buy all these vegetable and make this now! Pinning and sharing this gorgeous treat.
Erren
January 16, 2017 at 7:24 amI love the colors! This sounds beautiful!
Amanda|The Kitcheneer
January 16, 2017 at 7:07 amWhat a GORGEOUS salad!!! And the photos are beautiful.
Sue
January 16, 2017 at 7:39 amThanks Amanda ๐
Allison - Celebrating Sweets
January 16, 2017 at 7:04 amWhat a beautiful salad! I love all those colors.
[email protected]'s Recipes
January 16, 2017 at 6:35 amI wish I could find those gorgeous radishes over here…the salad looks out of this world, Sue.
Chris Scheuer
January 16, 2017 at 4:13 amSpectacular! Love everything about this beautiful salad. The simple dressing sounds like a perfect way to enhance the delicious veggies.
Adina
January 16, 2017 at 3:04 amI love how colorful your recipes are! This one looks amazing as well!
Sue
January 16, 2017 at 4:27 amThanks Adina, this one was fun to do ๐