Strawberry spinach dill salad

 

You know those recipes that everyone always asks you for when you bring it to a potluck? This is one of those. And the reason I'm posting it now is because it was the easiest way to share it after the most recent office potluck, a send-off for a bright young thing going off to seek her way in life.

Strawberry spinach dill salad

Adapted from “Favorite Recipes from Great Midwest Cooks” from Midwest Living magazine. It’s one of a handful of cookbooks I moved up here with, and recipes like this one (from Joan Burk-Miller of the erstwhile Miller Strawberry Acres of Wausau, Wis.) show that unpretentious farm cooks still have something to contribute to an urban table, and that fresh ingredients really matter in a simple salad.

Ingredients

6 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn if large

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

¼ salad oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1½ tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon fresh dill weed

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon dried mustard

Method

Toss spinach and strawberries together in a large serving bowl. Mix oil and remaining ingredients for dressing. When ready to serve, shake up dressing and toss with salad. 

The dressing can be made ahead, but I find that it’s best to toss the dressing with the salad shortly before serving rather than hours ahead to avoid it getting soggy. It’s not one of those recipes that needs time to blend the flavors.