watercress, apple and horseradish salad

I made this salad to accompany the walnut-crusted tilapia, which is a loose interpretation of a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com. I tend to find a combination of things I like in a salad and then get stuck in a rut (I was recently reminded by the comment "oh, caesar again?"). So this recipe is a refreshing change of pace. I loved how the sweetness of the apple contrasts with the slight kick of fresh horseradish root.

Grocery list: 1 bunch fresh watercress, 1 horseradish root, 1 apple. For the dressing: 1 shallot, 1 lemon, apple cider vinegar, walnut oil, fennel seeds.



Start by making the dressing. Mince the shallot, and juice the lemon. Add a pinch of fennel seeds, salt pepper, and equal parts oil and cider vinegar. Whisk and let stand while you make everything else -- you want to wait to dress the salad till just before serving it.



I have never worked with a fresh horseradish root before, but it was pretty easy, and not nearly as spicy (is that the right word? nasal-passage-burning?) as the jarred variety. First, you peel it, then shred the root till you have a handful.



I used hydroponic watercress, which is all they had. You just chop off the root ball, rinse, and spin dry. Slice the apple, and you can rub the extra lemon halves (to spread any remaining lemon juice) on the apple slices to prevent them from turning brown on your plate. To serve, toss the watercress and horseradish with the dressing, and top with a spiral of apple slices.