Winter Dance Salad

Based on the book, Winter Dance
by Marion Dane Bauer • Illustrated by Richard Jones

Can salad be a comfort food? When you add warm roasted potatoes and freshly caramelized onions, this dish is as cozy as your favorite jammies and a bedtime story. Winter Dance Salad is the perfect potluck dish to bring to celebrations with family and friends.

Nutrition Nibble:

Salads are good for us, but you already know that! Adding familiar, kid-friendly ingredients and letting littles wash, spin and chop ingredients gets them excited about veggies. Now, that’s something to dance about!

Makes: 6 Servings
Diet Type: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Contains: None of the common allergens

Challenge Level: Piece of Cake
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

6 cups mixed greens
(We like spring lettuce and spinach for their mild flavor and soft textures)
3 large handfuls of baby tomatoes, halved
Extra virgin olive oil, unsalted butter
Thyme, salt and pepper
Sherry vinegar
3 to 4 medium-sized Vidalia onions
3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
Dried rosemary, salt and pepper
Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette

Kids Can

Wash and spin lettuce
Help cut tomatoes with a kid-safe knife
Scrub potatoes
Set the timer

Watch Out For

Hot skillet and oven
Hot potatoes and onions

Instructions

For the onions

Warm a large cast iron skillet on medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter (or enough to coat the bottom of the pan).
Slice onions thin and add to the skillet. Turn heat to down to medium low.
Splash in some sherry vinegar and sprinkle in some fresh (or dried) thyme, salt and pepper.
Cook low and slow, stirring occasionally so the onions don’t stick to the pan, about 25 minutes until they are brown, sticky and sweet.

For the potatoes

Preheat oven to 425F.
Place parchment paper on the baking sheet.
Scrub potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces of roughly the same size.
In a mixing bowl add salt pepper and olive oil and dried rosemary. Coat the cut potatoes.
Spread seasoned potatoes out on the baking sheet so that no two pieces touch.
Roast for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender, slightly crispy, and golden brown.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before adding to the salad.

For the salad

Wash and spin lettuce, set in a large bowl.
Wash baby tomatoes and halve lengthwise. Add to the salad bowl.
Add potatoes and caramelized onions. Stir. Taste.
Serve with balsamic dressing on the side. (You may find the flavor is so good you don’t need dressing!)