Party Salad
Founder / Chef / Everyone’s Best Friend
Andy Hay
Welcome to my kitchen. I hope to inspire you to grow as a home cook!
I make a ton of salads, and this Party Salad might be in my top three favourites. It’s loaded with everything you’d ever want; it’s spicy, sweet, crunchy, chewy, and, of course, packed with the right amount of veggies to keep you feeling great throughout your day.
Party Salad: Kale is your best friend.
Most people have a love-hate relationship with kale. We all know it’s great for us, but not everyone knows how to use it properly.
1) Always remove the stem – The stem of kale is almost inedible. It’s super fibrous and woody and honestly doesn’t taste very good. Cleaning kale is super easy. With your hands, strip off the leaf and toss away the stem.
2) Give it some love! – The leaves of kale are pretty fibrous, too. To make them super tender and lovely, give them a good mash with your hands. Massage the dressing into the greens. You won’t hurt the kale; you’ll make it better!
The best way to further clean your greens is of course by washing them, but we don’t want any watery greens diluting our dressing. A proper salad spinner like this will do the trick!
The perfect Party Salad dressing.
This is an incredible dressing; it hits all the notes for me. It’s acidic, sweet, and bright; the grainy mustard gives it that bit of heat bringing it all together.
It’s a simple recipe; all you need is a sharp knife, a mason jar, and a good arm!
Give your garlic a good mince; get it as fine as possible. Add that to a mason jar along with your vinegar, mustard, olive oil, and a few good glugs of maple syrup. Seal the lid tightly and give it a good shake until it’s fully emulsified.
You can store that dressing in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Potato chips are THE perfect pairing with salad.
We always want to get our veggies in, but we also need to make sure we’re having fun with our food.
The addition of the potato chips (especially if they’re Ruffles) just adds so much to the salad. It adds a new type of crunch that makes each bite so much fun.
It also helps add another level of seasoning. The salty chips break down and enhance each bite, making it a super memorable salad and a new family classic.
Other salads to check out!
If you liked the sound of this Party Salad, here are a few other recipes you should check out!
Sushi Restaurant Salad Dressing
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Kale Removed from the stem and chopped
- 3 cups Brussel Sprouts Shaved thin
- 1 cup Red Apple Diced
- 3/4 cup Dreid Cranberries
- 3/4 cup Toasted Pecans
- 1 tbs Maple Syrup
- 3/4 cup Parm Shaved
- 1/4 cup Red Onion Diced
- 1 cup Potato Chips Crushed by hand
For the Dressing
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- 6 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbs Dijon
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 1/4 cup Olive oil
Instructions:
- Into a mason jar, add 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped), 6 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard, ¼ cup of maple syrup, 1 ½ tsp of black pepper, along with 1 ¼ cups of olive oil. Give it a hearty shake until it’s fully emulsified and set it in the fridge.
- Into a frying pan set over medium heat, add 3/4 cup of pecans and toast until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Once toasted, turn off the heat and add in 1 tbsp of maple syrup. Give it a good toss and set aside to cool.
- With a sharp knife, shred the brussel sprouts into thin slices and add them to a large bowl. Clean your kale by stripping it off the woody stem and lightly chopping it into bite-size chunks, then add it to the same bowl. Next, add in the rest of your salad ingredients, including your crunched-up chips. Add your dressing and give it a good toss.
- Garnish your salad with extra crunched-up chips and enjoy!
Andy Hay
Andy is the founder of ECK, Chef, and let’s admit it… the reason you’re here. He taught himself to cook, and it all paid off when he secured his spot in the season 5 Finale of Master Chef Canada. Now, Andy uses his big energy to showcase recipes that actually make people want to cook. His brand was built on butter and East Coast charm, and Andy’s kept that same energy ever since. Off-camera, you’ll find him doing what started it all: cooking for his two daughters, wife and the people he loves.
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This salad was the only one whose bowl was emptied before the end of the potluck party. It was enjoyed by everyone, including those who are not fond of kale. I wasn’t sure when to add the potato chips, so I added them just before serving. I added the dressing before packing it up to soften the kale and Brussels sprouts. Several people asked for the recipe. The addition of the potato chips was a hit.
Love this so much, Nancy! So happy to hear this was a hit at the party!
This was the first bowl on the table at the potluck to be emptied. I was concerned about putting the chips in too early. Everyone enjoyed it, and several asked for the recipe. It will be in my fall salad rotation.
Love that, Nancy! It’s such a great potluck dish!
One of the best salads I’ve ever had. The perfect combination of sweet and salty.
That’s amazing to hear, Alana—thank you! So glad it hit that sweet-salty balance just right. Appreciate you taking the time to share!