Sunchoke & Apple Salad with Aged Cheddar – Henrietta Red Salad

Directions

• Before We Start

  Preparing Sunchokes: Scrub thoroughly with a brush but do not peel—the skin adds flavor and visual texture. We like to use a brush to get into it and then pat dry.
  Red Pepper Alternatives: We used Aji Rico for this, but any fruity mildly hot pepper will work. Like a red jalapeño or Calabrian chiles, we have even used smaller amounts of deseeded habaneros that turned out well. You can also use your basic red peppers if you don’t want any heat. If you are in a pinch, a little crushed red pepper flakes is a fine alternative as well.
  Sunflower sprout alternative: These sprouts are my favorites for this due to it’s thickness and size, but pea sprouts and radish sprouts also work. You can look for any type of micro green as well to top it with.
  Timing: The main thing to watch out for with this dish is browning. Like potatoes, your sunchokes and apples will start to brown after they are sliced. The icebath prolongs the sunchokes time to about an hour before they start to brown, but the apples are not. This is the sort of dish you will want to make less than an hour (ideally 30 minutes) before serving. You can make the dressing, prep you cheese ahead of time.

• Make the Dressing

  If using fresh red peppers, slice them thinly, then finely chop them.
   
  Zest the lemon and set the zest aside. Then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from the lemon.
   
  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, chili peppers, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until the salt starts to dissolve and everything is slightly emulsified. I like to grind my salt with a mortar and pestle first so it dissolves easily into the dressing.
   
  NOTE: Lemons vary in their acidity levels, so adjust the lemon and honey if needed. The dressing will be very salty, but will tone down once it is mixed with the other ingredients at the end.
  

• Toast the Sunflower Seeds (optional)

  If you don’t have seeds that are pre-roasted and salted, you can toast and salt them in just 90 seconds yourself.
   
  Just add your raw sunflower seeds to a 10in pan on medium heat with a pinch of fine salt and toast for 1-2 minutes or until they start to brown slightly.
   
  Then remove from the pan and let them cool.

• Prep the Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) & Apples

  Scrub sunchokes well, keeping the skins on. Slice thinly with a mandoline set to 1/16–1/8 inch and place immediately in an ice water bath for a minute or two. Swirling them around with your hand to help clean them. This removes starch, creates crisper texture, and minimized browning from the air. Drain with a fine mesh strainer and pat completely dry with a towel.
   
  You will want to ensure the sunchokes are pretty dry, so they don’t carry excess water that would dilute your dressing. Wrapping them in a kitchen towel until you are ready to use them can help ensure the excess moisture is removed.
   
  Slice the apples into thin half-moons and then slice them on the same thickness (1/16–1/8 inch) with the mandoline and place in a large bowl.
   
  Note: I like to prepare a large bowl with ice water and lower the sunchokes in a fine mesh strainer into it. This make it easier to pull them out and drain without having to deal with the ice.

• Prep cheese

  Using a fork, break apart the brick of extra sharp cheddar into about 1/4in chunks. It is best to get a good aged cheddar that will crumble as you break it up with a fork.

• Combine & Toss

  In a large bowl, combine the sunchokes, apples, lemon zest, and cheese.
   
  Just before you are ready to eat, re-wisk and drizzle over the dressing and toss gently to coat evenly. Waiting to the last minute to add the dressing will will ensure the salt and acid don’t draw too much moisture from the ingredients before you eat it.

• Garnish

  Top the salad with roasted sunflower seeds and sunflower sprouts along with a very small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top and serve immediately.