Warm Mushroom Salad with Crispy Garlic Chips

I love this dish because it works well as an appetizer, a delicious lunch, or even a light dinner served with fresh crusty bread. Use which mushrooms you prefer, but I find that using a mix of several different types will give you the most impressive results. Having said that- most large supper markets sell packages of mixed mushrooms which are perfect for this recipe and available year round. Also- I always opt to use mixed baby greens but spinach or arugula also work really well- basically- anything other than iceburg, romain, or green/red leaf which don’t hold up well to the warm mushrooms. This recipe will comfortably serve four as an appetizer size or two as a main meal.

The dressing and the garlic chips can be made in advance- even the night before- and in fact the dressing is even better when it has at least a couple of hours to sit in the fridge. So… for the garlic chips, simply heat the oil over medium high heat and fry the garlic slices for approximately 3-4 minutes, turning over half way through until lightly browned. Keep in mind that once they start browning they will burn very quickly. Set those aside on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

For the dressing, zest and juice a lemon- reserving half of the zest & juice for the mushrooms. Put remaining juice & zest in a small bowl and then add pepper, balsamic vinegar and minced garlic. Now slowly add oil while whisking quickly as this will help the oil and vinegar mix together rather than sit in two separate layers. Cover and store in fridge until needed.

Now for the salad (YUMMM) In a large sauce pan, saute the onions in butter & oil until transparent. Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they begin to release their natural juices. Add garlic and salt & pepper and continue to cook until almost all the juice has evaporated. Add chicken stock or wine and continue cooking until most of the liquid is again evaporated, add lemon zest & juice and cook for an additional minute.

Lightly toss greens in the dressing made earlier, plate salad and scoop mushrooms slightly off to the side of greens and top with crispy garlic chips. Serve immediately.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Yield: 2 to 4 servings