Collard Green Salad with Oranges and Port-Soaked Cherries

We’re here to prove that a salad can make a stunning main course. Our favorite example? A heaping bowl of Collard Green Salad with Oranges and Port-Soaked Cherries. This salad hits all the right notes: Tangy goat cheese, sweet oranges, earthy walnuts, jammy cherries, and slightly-spicy mustard. The Dijon adds a nice tang to the dressing, contrasting with notes of molasses from the port. It’s really the juicy, port-infused cherries that make this simple salad extra special. If you’d rather skip the port, dried cherries will work well too; apple or grape juice would also make great non-alcoholic substitutes for the sweet wine.

This salad is a great way to showcase raw collard greens, which bring a slight bitterness that complements the sweetness of the fruit. A few tips from our Test Kitchen: Cutting the collards into thin strips and gently massaging them goes a long way in tenderizing the greens. Feel free to take advantage of citrus season, including different citrus varieties to showcase all the colors and levels of sweetness that winter has to offer. While this dish makes a beautiful main, we love to serve it alongside salmon for brunch or grilled chicken strips for dinner.