Radish and Green Apple Salad

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Many Saturdays ago Steve and I got all dressed up for dinner at One and two surprising things happened: first, Steve actually enjoyed it (he’s not too into what he thought was going to be “poncy” food – you know, teeny-tiny plates of fussy food served by snobby servers) and, second, the most memorable dish of the night for me was a radish and green apple salad.

A salad! Even after the pork belly with perfectly crispy skin, and the rich and tender beef cheeks, and the roasted beets with the delicious horseradish cream sauce all I could think about was the simple salad of raw spicy radish and tart green apples.

It was inspiring.

Inspiration is what I hope for when I get the chance to eat a place like One and the chef-owners, Kim and Daniel (who, by the way, have quite impressive backgrounds with time clocked in the kitchens of Per Se, The French Laundry, Alinea, and El Bulli) delivered big. At the risk of sounding silly I will say that I was practically giddy as we made our way through the the four course tasting menu. The restaurant is relaxed and inviting, the staff was friendly and welcoming and the food was approachable, thoughtful, and so delicious. It was quite the experience and one that delighted me and surprised Steve, especially after the chef accommodated his request for something a little different that what was listed on the menu (in some restaurants you might get some serious side-eye for this, but at One they took it in stride). There was no “poncy-ness’ to be found at One.

And the salad – the salad is what I’m still thinking about all this time later.

I would never dream that I could improve upon what was placed in front of me that night, so that’s not what this is about today. Today it’s about sharing the wonderful combination of raw spicy radish with tart green apples, which was a new-to-me pairing that night. It’s been tucked away in my thoughts for a few months now and this weekend I brought it back to life. You might raise an eyebrow at what’s in it, but – and trust me on this – in one bite you get spicy, sweet, and tart along with just a hint of earthy bitterness from the thinly sliced celery. The Parmesan adds just a touch of saltiness. It all works. This salad is meant to whet your appetite before indulging in something special like roast chicken, or braised short ribs, or a perfectly cooked steak topped with bernaise sauce. Seeing as it’s a little past prime radish season I’m a little late to the party, but I just couldn’t wait to share this until next Spring. We’re okay with that, right?

P.S. I realize this post reads like a review of One, which I hadn’t intended, so since we went down that road I’ll encourage you to check it out if you find yourself in Chapel Hill. Oh, and if you do, call me because I want to go, too!

The post Radish and Green Apple Salad appeared first on Girl Gone Gourmet.