Recipe: Paper-thin veggies make better, more creative summer salads

Want to build a better salad? Think thin.

This summer, I fell in love with my mandoline, that paddle-shaped kitchen gadget that with back-and-forth swipes lets you easily and quickly render produce to paper-thin slices. Why for salads? Because tender wafers of carrot and ribbons of cucumber and flakes of radish are so much more pleasing and delicious than the hunks and chunks our usual knife hacking produces.

The result is a salad of contrasts. Crunchy romaine and wedges of tomato play off deliciously pliable slices of otherwise firm produce. And for dressing addicts such as me, lots of slices offer up more surface area for vinaigrette to cling to.

Typically, I start by making a simple dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. I usually do a 2-to-1 ratio of olive oil to cider vinegar spiked with hefty pinches of salt and pepper. A splurt of Dijon mustard or a blop of strawberry jam helps emulsify the whole mess. Whisk, then start building the salad. First in, raw garlic. A chopped clove would be too intense. But paper-thin slices of garlic shaved on a mandoline add a mild, pleasant bite to the salad.

Now add the greens and tomatoes, then shave in carrots, bell peppers, celery, cucumber, fennel, or any other firm vegetable. Another advantage of the mandoline is that it renders rather pleasant some vegetables I otherwise find abrasive. Raw radishes and red onions, for example, tend to overpower when merely chopped. But thin slices — as with the garlic — add a delicious spike of flavor.

Once all of the ingredients are shaved into the bowl, toss well, then top with something crunchy. Homemade croutons are fantastic, but for ease I often just toss a handful of sunflower seeds or toasted pumpkin seeds on top. Done.

You can easily spend some serious cash on stainless steel mandolines, but I wouldn't. I have one of those and almost never use it. I prefer the cheap plastic ones with ceramic blades, such as those made by Kyocera. They can be found for as little as $11 online, are easily held directly above your salad bowl, and can be tossed in the dishwasher. They also sport a double-sided blade, meaning the produce is sliced on both the downward and upward slides.

But be sure to be smart about your mandoline. They come with a finger guard for a reason. Use it.