The flavors of the distinct parts of this rainbow chard salad—the greens, the stems, the dressing, and the walnuts—all combine for a very nice and satisfying salad. You might want to make some minor adjustments to keep the stems a little firm, so no more than 3 minutes, and barely wilt the leaves, then drain and dry them as carefully and gently as you can. The recipe easily scales down to be perfect for 2 people but go ahead and make the full recipe of dressing and candied walnuts so you can have them for another salad the next day or for use with other vegetables.
When making the walnuts, it’s very easy to go from caramelized and candied to burnt on the walnuts—my first batch got away from me and I started over using a lower heat and watching the walnuts like a hawk.
Since my food processor is large, it made much more sense (and less mess) to do the dressing using an immersion blender—I think I will be using that in place of a blender from now on for sauces and mayonnaise.
A dusting of microgreens (radish and broccoli sprouts) and some Pt. Reyes Farmhouse blue cheese and we had a completely new salad experience. I really think this is the kind of salad you want to make a dramatic presentation with, whether on a large platter for a dinner party or plated on large dinner plates so it can show off the colors and not be crowded. I used large shallow bowls but wished I had more space.
The dressing was still lovely the next day on cooked vegetables. With just a little planning, this is an easy weeknight salad but shows off for entertaining. The steps are simple although they do require your brief attention. The dressing comes together very quickly and the candied nuts cool down quickly so you can break them up or chop.