The Department of Salad Dressing Room Is Open—Come On In. 🚪👗
Winter Hazelnut Butter for Vegetables. Grapefruit Thyme Splash.
IT’S BEEN A MINUTE since we last flung open the doors to the Dressing Room, where we go to experiment with and try on new dressings in private. And a cold snap seems like a great time to do so: Lately, we’ve been overwhelmed by the contradictory impulse to eat bright crisp green salads and to roast and consume lots of wintery vegetables.
We want the world to be both sunnier and cozier—emotionally and in reality.
So I have condiments for both moods. The first one, Winter Hazelnut Butter for Vegetables, is the very thing to have around right now, when the weather (real and metaphysical) seems to be demanding hiding out and lazing around. If I have this thick, luscious condiment in my fridge, I know I’ll have a good supper without having to think too much. I feel safe.
You can serve it on a variety of roasted vegetables, one at a time or tossed together on a big sheet pan. (And if you’re not a roaster, a lot of the vegetables listed below would be good boiled or steamed then tossed with this condiment.)
Roast whatever you have, toss the still-hot vegetables with a big spoonful or two of the hazelnut butter, and finish with chopped flat-leaf parsley or your favorite soft herbs.
butternut squash
delicata squash
sweet potatoes
carrots
Brussels sprouts
cauliflower
broccoli or broccolini
cabbage (wedges or thick slices)
green beans
parsnips
The second, my Grapefruit Thyme Splash, is a true cold-weather pick-me-up. This is a crisp, light, but big-flavored vinaigrette that works on everything from sturdy winter greens (kale, chicories, escarole) and cooled roasted vegetables (beets and carrots, for example) to simple tossed salads with lighter leaves (and such add-ins as avocado, citrus or other winter fruit, cherry tomatoes, a little cheese, a few olives). If you use this dressing with kale or other sturdier greens, first massage a bit of it into the leaves then toss the whole salad with a bit more.
The hazelnut butter is a workhorse you can ride all week. The grapefruit splash you’ll want to make and use more quickly. I hope you enjoy both—they’ve become go-to recipes in my kitchen.
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