Best.Salad.Ever.

I love salads with some kind of citrus component, especially in the winter,

it’s like a burst of summer on your plate.

The best salad I’ve ever had was in the late spring of 1998.

I went away to boarding school for high school, and faculty members were always coming up with ways to foster community and create bonds with students. Each dorm had a set of faculty members that chaperoned / proctored the dorm during evening study hall, and during my junior year, one of these teachers was a man I’ll call Mr. W.

Mr. W was a soft-spoken English teacher, well into his 60’s, possibly early 70’s, who was never without his uniform of impeccably pressed khakis, and a pastel collared shirt.

Near the end of the school year, his wife set up a series of dinners where she invited 4-5 girls from the dorm at a time for a special dinner, just so she could get to know the teenagers that had probably been driving her husband nuts for the past year.

It was at this dinner that I encountered one of the best salads of my life. It was simple and elegant, just like the black sheath dress Mrs. W wore that evening.

I don’t know what it was about this salad...it didn’t have many ingredients (I was so used to throwing practically everything from the salad bar into my bowl at lunch), it was just a couple of lettuce leaves, a sprig or two of watercress, a slice of grapefruit, a few slivers of onion, and sparse scattering of walnuts and grapes plainly layered on a small plate. But, I never forgot it.

As soon as I got home from school that summer, I attempted to recreate it, and since then, I’ve made it many times...but no matter how hard I try, I can never capture the effortless, elegant look that Mrs. W’s salad had that night. It tastes pretty good though, I guess that's all that matters LOL.

Today, I’m going to share my recipe for this salad. Maybe it will become a favorite of yours aswell…


Grapefruit and Watercress Salad
Serves 4

2 Small grapefruits, peeled and segmented

1 head of red leaf lettuce, outer leaves discarded

1-2 small bunches of watercress
½ small white onion, thinly sliced

½ cup small red seedless grapes
1/2 cup shelled walnuts

For the dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Start by cutting the onion into thin slices, then set aside to soak in a bowl of cold water in the fridge. By the time you're done with the rest of the salad, the onion will have less bite, but still taste "oniony".

Next, gather the whole lettuce leaves and watercress and wash them well. Dry thoroughy, then trim the ends and any tough stems.

With a sharp knife, slice the rind off of the grapefruit, taking care to remove as much of the white pith as possible.

*I usually use regular grapefruits, but picked up the wrong kind today. These work just as well*

Using a serrated knife, cut the grapefruit in to wedged segments, or rounds like I did above. Segments are easier to eat, but I like the way the full slices of fruit look in the salad, it's closer to what I remember. I'm not bothered by the tough part in the middle...I just cut around it as I eat.

Prepare the dressing: just whisk the oil, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl until well combined. Season with the salt and pepper.

Assembly: tear the lettuce leaves into 2-3 pieces and lay them on a large platter or individual plates. Layer the watercress and grapefruit slices on top along with a few slices of onion, then scatter the grapes and walnuts over everything. Serve the dressing on the side.

Since the leaves are large, this is definitely a "knife and fork" type of salad.

Enjoy!