In the Fall our inclination seems to be to roast everything in sight. I totally understand this, but sometimes your body starts to crave fresh flavors again. This salad is the answer to these cravings! Enough to serve two for lunch or more as a side, this salad embraces the more delicate flavors of celeriac and apple while keeping things grounded with undertones of earthy beet and blue cheese. If you don’t have a mandoline slicer in your kitchen arsenal, I highly recommend putting one on your Christmas list. Without one, feel free to use the coarsest grater on a box grater or food processor to give the salad a slaw like texture. Finally, I’ve included the option to add some sliced prosciutto to the salad. If you’re enjoying this as a lunch, the addition of prosciutto will bulk things up and add some protein.

Ingredients:
1 celeriac bulb, peeled and grated
1 small beet, peeled and grated or thinly sliced
1 large carrot, grated
1 apple, grated
1 small bunch of mint leaves
Juice from 1 lemon
3/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup blue cheese
1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, lightly crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 6 slices of prosciutto, sliced into ribbons
Method:

1. Mix together the lemon, sour cream, blue cheese, and Dijon with a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Roughly chop the mint. Reserve a tablespoon to the side for garnish.
3. In a mixing bowl, toss the celeriac, beet, carrot, apple, and mint in the sour cream dressing.
4. Place the mixture in a serving bowl and top with nuts and mint (and prosciutto, if using).