This cold-weather salad from chef Carla Hall hits all the notes: sweet, savory, spicy, and salty—with a bit of crunch from the squash seeds. Here, Hall uses her Country Ham Potlikker as an umami-rich base for a spicy vinaigrette that gets its silky texture from blended cannellini beans.
But the thing is, most people are not going to have this potlikker broth on hand. We had some leftover from our Smothered Pork Chops dinner in which you had to pre-make the Country Ham Potlikker. Our suggestion is to use a mix of oil and vinegar instead, you won’t have that smoky ham flavor, but you will be keeping the meal vegetarian.
*We decided to roast our fennel slices since I didn’t shave them thin enough. Basically, place the fennel on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle olive oil all over, sprinkle with salt and pepper, rub it all together with your hands, then roast for about 30-35 minutes in a 400° oven. This can be done ahead of time, simply cover the roasted fennel with foil until ready to mix in with the other ingredients.
Bean and Vegetable Salad with Potlikker Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup chilled Country Ham Potlikker
- 1 tsp. yellow mustard
- 1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal, or 1 1/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium delicata squash, halved, seeds removed and reserved, sliced crosswise 1/2″ thick
- 3 extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 large sweet-tart apple, (such as Honeycrisp), cored, quartered, sliced 1/4″ thick
- 1 large fennel bulb, quartered, shaved in very thin slices (*See note above for roasting option)
- 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Directions
- Blend vinegar, potlikker (or substitute), mustard, and ¼ cup cannellini beans in a blender until smooth. With the motor running, stream in vegetable oil; blend until emulsified. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
- Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 400°. Divide sliced squash between 2 rimmed baking sheets; drizzle 2 Tbsp. olive oil over. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; season with pepper. Roast 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse squash seeds and pat dry. Toss seeds with cayenne and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl; season with salt.
- Sprinkle seeds over squash. Continue to roast until squash is golden brown and tender, 13–15 minutes more.
- Combine squash and seeds, apple, fennel, kidney beans, and remaining cannellini beans in a large bowl. Toss with ½ cup vinaigrette. Taste and add more vinaigrette if needed. Add parsley, season with salt, and toss again.
- Transfer salad to a platter; serve any remaining vinaigrette alongside.
Recipe from Carla Hall for Bon Appétit
Accounting for Taste 
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