Warm Christmas salad

Warm Christmas Salad. Photograph: Harry Weir
Warm Christmas Salad. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 6
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 100ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 1tbsp golden brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 1tsp Dijon mustard
  • 200ml sunflower oil
  • 100ml rapeseed oil
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 small celeriac
  • 250ml crème fraiche
  • 1tbsp grain mustard
  • 12 cooked chestnuts, crumbled
  • A drizzle of honey
  • 8 ready-to eat-prunes, halved (substitute raisins if you prefer)
  • Some leftover ham, pulled into shreds.
  • 2 handfuls of nice winter salad leaves, washed
  •  

1 In a small pot bring the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and cloves to the boil then immediately remove from the heat.

2 Whisk in the Dijon mustard, sunflower and rapeseed oils, then season and set aside. This can be done ahead of time as it keeps for two weeks in the fridge.

3 Peel the celeriac with a serrated knife and cut it into the smallest strips that you can, use a food processor for this if you like.

4 Mix the crème fraiche, grain mustard, a third of the chestnuts and the honey into the celeriac. Season and chill.

5 When you're ready to serve, put the leftover ham into the dressing along with the prunes and remaining chestnuts, then warm this up over a gentle heat.

6 Divide the leaves into bowls then add the celeriac to each. Spoon the dressing over the top and serve.

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. He and his wife, Máire, run the Tannery restaurant and cookery school in Dungarvan, Co Waterford