dandelion green salad with lemon-caraway bread crumbs and herb dressing

Dandelion greens taste wickedly bitter, but that’s also part of their appeal. That bitterness signals many of dandelion’s potent medicinal compounds, the very compounds that are responsible for both its nutritive quality and its ability to support digestion. Bitterness finds balance in salty and sour flavors, which is why the greens partner so well with robust flavors such as lemon, anchovies, and caraway seeds. The trick in using caraway seeds in this recipe is to leave them whole. Caraway powder would obscure the flavor of the bread crumbs, but when you leave the seeds whole, you’ll crunch down on them as you eat the salad, allowing the seeds to release all their brightness in one bite before you move on to the next.

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Step 1

to make the dressing: Scrub the lemon under running water and pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Finely grate the lemon’s colorful zest, avoiding the bitter pith. Set the lemon zest aside in a small bowl. Slice the lemon crosswise and squeeze its juice into a blender or food processor. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic, anchovies, chives, tarragon, and parsley to the blender and puree to form a smooth dressing. Pour the dressing into a small jar, seal it, and place it in the refrigerator while you prepare the bread crumbs and salad.

Step 2

to make the bread crumbs: Set a 10-inch skillet on the stove over medium heat. When you can feel the heat emanating from the pan, drizzle in the olive oil and then stir in the bread crumbs, caraway seeds, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the bread crumbs are pleasantly toasted, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the reserved lemon zest.

Step 3

to make the salad: In a large bowl, toss the dandelion greens with the shallot, sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs, and drizzle the greens with the dressing. Serve immediately.