Crisp Garden Salad with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

A lighter, sharper version built to sit beside Detroit-style pizza

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 head Boston lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 3 red radishes (or watermelon/breakfast radish), very thinly sliced
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 apple (Granny Smith), cored and julienned
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or mix with parsley, mint, or basil)

Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot (or a small amount of red onion)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Make the vinaigrette

In a small bowl, whisk together:

• Lemon juice
• Shallot
• Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Then slowly whisk in the olive oil until lightly emulsified.

Taste it.

It should feel bright first—then settle.

2. Prepare the salad

In a large bowl, combine:

• Lettuce
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Apple
• Chives or herbs

  If prepping ahead:

• Toss apples lightly in lemon juice to prevent browning

3. Dress just before serving

Drizzle a small amount of vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently.

  Important:

• Use less than you think you need
• You can always add more
• You can’t take it away

4. Serve immediately

Once dressed, the salad should be served right away.

This isn’t a salad that waits.

Notes From My Kitchen

This wasn’t meant to stand on its own.

It sits beside something richer. Something structured. Something that asked for time.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the beginning starts here:

→ Not Every Square Pizza Is Detroit Style 

And after this—

There’s something softer waiting.

A different kind of ending. Built from the same foundation, but moving in another direction:

→ A Different Kind of Ending (Honey Butter Detroit-Style Dessert Pizza) (tomorrow)

This is the middle of it.

A meal that moves in parts.

Not all at once. Not rushed.

Just enough at a time to understand what’s in front of you

before moving on to the next step.

Kyle J. Hayes

kylehayesblog.com

If this found you at the right time,

Feel free to like, comment, or share it with someone who might need it too.

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