What to do when you come home from the orchard with too many apples
There are miles of peach and apple orchards not far from where we live, and we drive out a few times every year. Every year we come home with more apples than we can possibly eat. I have apple bread, apple compote, and apple crisp to show for it, and this year I have a roasted apple salad too.
Roasting is what finally made it work. Raw sliced apples in a salad are fine, but fifteen minutes in a hot oven turns them soft in the middle and a little caramelized at the edges, and the kitchen smells like apple bread without any of the flour. Then they go onto a bed of mixed greens with blue cheese, dried cranberries, and maple pecans, and a maple vinaigrette goes over the top. I won’t lie, I did not expect a salad to make me this happy. Nobody will call this a boring salad.
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Why I Roast the Apples for This Salad
I use Granny Smith apples here because they are firm and tart, and they hold their shape in the oven instead of collapsing into applesauce. Any firm apple will work, so use whichever one you have too many of. Honeycrisp apples are a good choice if you want the salad a little sweeter, and gala apples work well too.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Core the apples, cut them into quarters, and slice each quarter thin. Not paper thin, but thin. Leave the skins on for color. Place apples in an even layer on a baking sheet (a sheet pan works too) sprayed with baking spray or cooking spray, then slide the pan into the preheated oven. Roast for 10 minutes, flip the slices over, and roast for 5 more minutes. If you would rather skip the spray, parchment paper works too.
That is all the cooking there is, and it is over before you have finished the dressing.
What Goes in This Roasted Apple Salad
Start with 6 to 10 ounces of mixed greens, depending on how big you want the bowl to be. Use a generous handful of peppery arugula and you have an arugula apple salad. If you were searching for an apple arugula salad recipe, this one works that way too. Romaine adds extra crunch.
Six ounces of crumbled blue cheese goes on top, along with 1/3 cup of dried cranberries. The cranberries are the part I would not skip. Every few bites you get one small, tart, chewy piece against the salty blue cheese, and it is a nice contrast. If blue cheese is not your favorite, goat cheese is a good stand-in.
The last thing is 1/2 cup of chopped candied pecans. Store-bought are fine. Homemade take only a few minutes, so I make them while the apples roast.
Quick Maple Pecans
Put the whole pecans in a dry frying pan or large skillet over medium heat and let them toast. The moment you smell them, pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup over the top, turn off the heat, and stir quickly so every pecan is coated. Pour them onto a Silpat or other silicone baking mat and let them come to room temperature. Once they are cool, chop them.
Do not walk away from the pan. Pecans go from fragrant to burned while you are deciding what to do with the rest of the afternoon. I am speaking from experience.
Maple Vinaigrette
This homemade dressing is the simple kind you can make in a small bowl while the oven does its work. Whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and a dash of cayenne. The vinegar keeps it sharp, the maple softens it, and the cayenne wakes the whole thing up. You can also put everything in a jar and shake it.
How to Assemble the Roasted Apple Salad
Put the greens in a large bowl and toss them with a little bit of the vinaigrette. Taste before you add more. Arrange the roasted apples on top, scatter on the dried cranberries and crumbled blue cheese, and finish with the pecans. Serve it right away so the greens stay crisp. Nobody wants soggy salads (except Bill, he loves wilted salads.)
Make This Roasted Apple Salad Ahead
Of all the fall salads I make, this one is among my fall favorites, and it may be one of the best salads I put on a holiday table. The apples can be roasted earlier in the day and brought back to room temperature, and the dressing can be made a day ahead and kept in a jar. Keep the pecans in an airtight container. Toss and assemble everything at the last minute. This is a simple apple salad recipe, and the roasted apple salad is also easy enough for a weeknight side dish.
If you want to turn it into more than a side, crisp bacon or pancetta is delicious on this salad. Add it along with the cranberries and cheese.
I would put this one right next to the dishes in my Recipes for Entertaining guide. It is pretty enough for company and simple enough that you will still be talking to your guests while it comes together.
What I Do With the Rest of the Apples
A salad uses up a pound and a half, which is a start. The bag is much bigger than that. The rest goes into cinnamon walnut applesauce bread, apple blondies with cinnamon glaze and apple artichoke salad.
The orchard trips are the part I look forward to all year, and the too-many-apples problem is the part I pretend I did not see coming. Roasted apple salad is my newest answer to it. What do you make when you come home with more apples than you can eat? I am still collecting ideas, and I suspect some of you have been doing this longer than I have.
If you make this salad, I would love to hear how it turned out. Follow Pinecones & Acorns on Pinterest and Instagram for more recipes from our kitchen.
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Roasted Apple Salad
Thin slices of Granny Smith apples, roasted until just caramelized, served over mixed greens with blue cheese, dried cranberries, quick maple pecans, and a maple vinaigrette.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Ingredients for the salad
1 1/2 pounds firm apples (I like Granny Smith)
Baking spray or cooking spray
6 to 10 ounces mixed greens (add arugula or romaine for extra crunch)
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped candied pecans (quick maple pecans below, or store-bought)
Crisp bacon or pancetta (optional)
Ingredients for the quick maple pecans
1/2 cup whole pecans
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Ingredients for the maple vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
Dash of cayenne
Instructions
Instructions
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Core the apples, cut them into quarters, and slice thin, leaving the skins on. Place apples in an even layer on a baking sheet sprayed with baking spray or cooking spray.
Roast the apples for 10 minutes. Flip them over and roast for 5 more minutes.
While the apples roast, toast the whole pecans in a dry frying pan or large skillet over medium heat. As soon as you smell them, pour the maple syrup over the top, turn off the heat, and stir quickly to coat.
Pour the pecans onto a Silpat and let them come to room temperature. Chop them.
Whisk the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, and cayenne together in a small bowl, or shake them in a jar.
Toss the greens with some of the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Top with the roasted apples, dried cranberries, crumbled blue cheese, and chopped pecans. Add bacon or pancetta if you like. Serve right away.
Notes
Notes
Any firm apple works. Store-bought candied pecans are a good shortcut. Goat cheese can stand in for the blue cheese. For a holiday table, roast the apples and make the dressing ahead, and assemble the salad at the last minute.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasting
