I went to dinner with my lovely mom for her thirtieth (plus a few) birthday. For an appetizer over happy hour, we got this absolutely incredible grated brussel sprout salad. I’d never seen brussel sprouts so finely shaven into a beautiful salad, so of course I couldn’t help myself but to come up with my own version at home.

The concept here is that every single ingredient added to the salad is finely grated to make sure a bit of every ingredient is in each bite. These grated brussel sprouts are raw (trust me, it works!) and they’re blended with tart apple matchsticks, finely crushed candied walnuts, salty parmigiano, and tossed with a smoky cider vinaigrette.

OMG!

 

 

 

Makes: large portion for 2 people

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

The Ingredients

24 ounces Brussel sprouts, washed and outside layers removed

1 small honeycrisp apple, cut into thin matchsticks

1/3 cup parmigiano-reggiano, finely grated

1/3 cup candied walnuts, crushed into tiny pieces

~2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

~1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup Applewood smoked bacon, finely chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon bacon drippings (optional)

 

 

 

The Steps

In a large bowl, use the “fine” setting on a cheese grater to finely grate brussel sprouts. Or you can use a food processor to finely chop the brussel sprouts! The “cheese grater” version comes out a bit more perfect but either method works!

Add honeycrisp apple thin matchsticks, and finely grated cheese and walnuts. Add bacon (optional).

In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, bacon drippings (optional), and salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing into brussel sprout mixture. Mix together, adding more olive oil and vinegar if mixture is dry.

 

 

 

The Steps with Pictures

In a large bowl, use the “fine” setting on a cheese grater to finely grate brussel sprouts. Or you can use a food processor to finely chop the brussel sprouts! The “cheese grater” version comes out a bit more perfect but either method works!

Add honeycrisp apple thin matchsticks, and finely grated cheese and walnuts. Add bacon (optional).

In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, bacon drippings (optional), and salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing into brussel sprout mixture. Mix together, adding more olive oil and vinegar if mixture is dry.