Wilted Swiss Chard Salad
Sheet pan dinners are all the rage right now, and my Wilted Swiss Chard Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Cipollini Onions is a sheet pan salad that goes with anything from a simple baguette to a big ribeye. Thyme and garlic combine in this salad to give a bit of lemony heat to a nice blend of rich and peppery veggies. Using the heat from the sheet pan and cooked vegetables to warm the Swiss chard softens the hearty green without turning it into mush; it’s a great technique that can be used for any of the heartier greens when you want to tame them just a little.
My husband loved this salad paired with a nice steak and a bottle of spicy red wine. He decided this was the kind of salad even non-salad eaters would love. He is right, it’s got a ton of flavor but the potatoes help mellow it out nicely for a good balance. Trust your palette and nose when you are making this dish, taste before serving and add salt, acid, pepper and more fresh thyme as needed.
Tips for a Great Wilted Swiss Chard Salad
My warm Swiss Chard Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Cipollini Onions is a dish that could easily be changed up to meet your family’s preferences, swap or add in the veggies that you like for those I chose. The mushrooms are a lovely match with the thyme so I would urge you to include them in your salad. I know that Cipollini onions can be a pain to prep but the sweet melt in your mouth flavor when cooked is worth the effort. When prepping the mushrooms, potatoes and onions make them smaller for even cooking, so cut large mushrooms into quarters and slice the bigger Cipollini onions in half through the root end.
What is swiss chard?
Swiss chard is a dark leafy green that is easy to grow and tastes great. I know a lot of home gardeners and veggie co-op people that are up to their elbows in Swiss chard every year. It has a stronger flavor than many lettuces, more like a spinach and comes in a variety of beautiful colors. The thick stems are not great to eat raw but pickled or cooked they can be tasty. Raw, warm or wilted Swiss chard has tons of vitamins and is a sturdy green that takes strong flavored dressings well and will hold up on a buffet table or in an omelet.
Wilted Swiss Chard Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Cipollini Onions
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 pint mushrooms halved
- 10-12 Cipollini Onions peeled and large ones cut in half
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- Small bunch Swiss chard
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Dressing
- Juice of half a lemon
- Zest on one lemon
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic micro-planed
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a large sheet pan, sprayed with non-stick spray, arrange the onions, mushrooms and potatoes in a single layer. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, and toss with a teaspoon of thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 -20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
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While the veggies are cooking make the dressing for the Swiss chard by whisking together all the ingredients and set aside.
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Remove the stems from the Swiss chard, cut the leaves into thin ribbons. Just before the vegetables are done roasting toss the chard in the dressing. Then mix the dressed chard into the hot veggies on the hot sheet pan, allowing the heat to wilt the chard just slightly. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Finish the salad with more fresh thyme and ground black pepper.
Recipe Notes
Leftovers are great as the filling of an omelet!
