Apple and Shallot Delight

October, 2015 update – This recipe began as an alternative to cranberry sauce with leftover Thanksgiving turkey, as you’ll see from the opening of the original post. But in the intervening two years, I’ve come to love it with with other main dishes, especially simply poached chicken breasts and vegetarian main courses that need a sweet-yet-tart side dish. 

I love traditional Thanksgiving turkey. Honestly though, I may like turkey leftovers even more. Whether “straight up” or in a sandwich, there is nothing like that second (or third) day helping to send me into post-holiday, leftover ecstasy.

Cranberry sauce is a great accompaniment to turkey, on the holiday and every day thereafter until there is nothing left but a carcass with which to make soup. But sometimes, I yearn for an extra flavor boost for my turkey that is a bit more subtle. Cranberry sauce (in its many variations) is like the small child who demands attention. On the other hand, Apple and Shallot Delight is like a slightly older child, still fresh and lovely, but quieter and less attention-grabbing. 

Shallots are a wonderful alternative to the more common, yellow onion. A member of the onion family, produce expert Elizabeth Schneider describes them (in her book Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini” as having a sweeter, more intense and more complex flavor than ordinary onions. Lightly fried and paired with a tart apple, they complement the mild taste of turkey without overwhelming it.

This dish brings opposite tastes and textures together. Sweet and savory, crispy and soft, sharp and mild, it takes only minutes to prepare and uses just a few ingredients. You can easily double or triple this recipe; if you’re doing a larger batch and want the apples to brown, sauté (or lightly fry) one layer of apple slices at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan. 

The steps that take the apple and the shallot from raw to done are simple:

And when you’re done, if you arrange the apple slices in a lovely fan shape, you’ll find that the dish will please the eye as well as the palate! After all, presentation does matter. 

Print Recipe

Apple and Shallot Delight Yum

A simple side dish that will take any dinner up a notch.

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 Granny Smith or other tart apple about 8 ounces
• 1 medium-large shallot about 2 ounces
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 0.5 teaspoons maple syrup
• Pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings Ingredients 1 Granny Smith or other tart apple about 8 ounces 1 medium-large shallot about 2 ounces 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon oil 0.5 teaspoons maple syrup Pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Peel and slice the apple into quarters, then each quarter into thirds, so you have 12 slices.
2. Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
3. Pre-heat the pan, then add the butter and oil and heat until hot but not smoking.
4. Put the apples in a single layer (easiest if you make a fan pattern) with an empty spot in the middle. Add the shallot slices in a single layer in the middle.
5. Cook under a medium light for about 5 minutes, then gently turn each apple and shallot slice with a fork or with the metal spatula and cook them for 5 more minutes. If you finish cooking the shallots but have more apple slices that could not fit into the pan in the first single layer, push the shallots off to the side, on top of apple slices and cook the rest, or remove the shallots to a warmed plate while you finish cooking the remaining apple slices.
6. When the apple slices and shallots are done, remove the apples to a plate. I like the single layer, carefully arranged look, but that’s just my obsessive side. Feel free to pile them apples first in a low-sided bowl. If you want a single layer, use a metal spatula to avoid breaking the apple slices.
7. Drizzle the maple syrup on top of the apples, then top with the shallots and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

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