Watercress Goat Cheese Salad

Three ingredients, no cooking, 15 minutes. Peppery watercress piled on plates, topped with slices of cold mild goat cheese and scattered with pecan halves. This is the kind of salad that proves you don’t need a dozen ingredients to make something that looks and tastes elegant.

The watercress does all the flavor work here. Its natural peppery bite stands up to the tangy, creamy goat cheese in a way that mild lettuces can’t. Wash and dry it thoroughly so the leaves stay crisp and the cheese doesn’t slide off on a film of water.

Chill the goat cheese well before slicing. Warm chevre crumbles and smears instead of cutting into clean rounds. A sharp knife dipped in hot water gives the neatest slices from a soft log.

Kitchen Tips

• Use mild chevre, not aged. Aged goat cheese is crumbly and sharp. The mild, creamy type slices cleanly and has a gentler tang that works with the watercress.
• Toast the pecans lightly in a dry skillet for 3-4 minutes before plating. The heat brings out their oils and adds a warm, nutty fragrance the raw nuts don’t have.
• Add your own vinaigrette. This recipe is a blank canvas. A simple lemon-olive oil dressing or a sherry vinaigrette ties everything together beautifully.

Variations

• Add sliced pears or fresh figs for a fruit element that complements the goat cheese.
• Swap pecans for candied walnuts for a sweeter, crunchier contrast.
• Crumble the cheese instead of slicing if it’s too soft to cut, and toss it through the watercress for a more casual presentation.