Reuben Salad

Method

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. (makes a little over 240 ml1 cup of dressing)

Rye Croutons

2. Cut the rye bread into 1½ to 5 cm2-inch cubes until you have 950 ml4 cups. Bite-sized is the goal. Larger cubes work, they just take a little longer to crisp and can be cumbersome in the salad. If you are using thin sliced rye, cube it the same way and reduce the air fry time a few minutes.
3. Put the bread cubes directly into the air fryer basket or pot. If your air fryer came with a rack, leave it out. The croutons air fry more evenly and more quickly sitting right on the bottom. Pour the melted salted butter over the cubes and spread it around. If you are using unsalted butter or an unsalted loaf, add ¼ teaspoon of fine grain sea salt now.
4. Toss the bread cubes until they are lightly coated with the butter. You do not want them fully saturated at this point, just coated. There is no need to preheat the air fryer.
5. Air fry at 190°C375°F for 10 minutes total. At the 5 minute mark, pull the basket and toss the cubes around. If they look dry, spritz with a little avocado oil or add a bit more melted butter. Return them for the last 5 minutes.

   Our tip Dark rye barely changes colour, so go by feel. Squeeze a cube with tongs: it should be firm right through, with no soft give in the middle.

Reuben Salad

6. While the croutons cook, make the slaw. In a large bowl, combine 470 ml2 cups of coleslaw mix with 120 ml½ cup of Thousand Island dressing and toss until the cabbage is coated. Set it aside while you prep everything else. The dressing softens the cabbage slightly and flavors it all the way through.
7. Roughly chop 4 to 5 leaves of romaine into bite-sized pieces. Take a little of the stem out, but not all of it, since that crunch is lovely in the salad. Add the romaine to the bowl.
8. Cut the Swiss cheese into bite-sized cubes and add it to the bowl. Add the shaved corned beef, separating the slices as you add them rather than chopping them up. It will break apart as you toss, and you want to be able to see the corned beef in the finished salad.
9. Add 120 ml½ cup of sauerkraut that has been drained and squeezed dry. Wet sauerkraut will water down the salad, especially if you are making it ahead.
10. Toss everything together until the dressing is distributed through the salad. Plate it up, then top each serving with as many of the warm rye croutons as you like. The croutons crisp up a little more as they sit, so there is no need for a cooling rack. Serve right away.

Tips from Louise

PREP TIPS

• Drain the sauerkraut and then squeeze it dry with your hands or press it in a fine mesh strainer. This is the single biggest thing you can do to keep the salad from going watery.
• Ask the deli to shave the corned beef rather than slicing it thick. Thick slices do not distribute through a salad the same way.
• Cube the Swiss cheese and the bread to about the same bite-sized scale so every forkful is balanced.

COOKING TIPS

• Skip the rack in your air fryer and put the bread cubes right in the basket or pot. They crisp faster and more evenly with full contact.
• No preheating needed. Put them in cold and start the 10 minutes.
• If you are using a drawer style air fryer with a smaller base, toss the cubes more often than every 5 minutes so they brown evenly.
• Thin sliced rye cubes cook faster than cubes from a thick loaf. Start checking at 6 to 7 minutes.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Add the croutons at the table rather than tossing them in, so everyone can take as many as they want.
• This is a beautiful salad for a luncheon. It holds its color and it scales up or down easily.

STORAGE

• Make ahead: Toss the coleslaw mix with the dressing up to a few hours ahead and refrigerate it. Add the romaine, corned beef, Swiss, and sauerkraut just before serving for the best texture.
• Refrigerator: Store leftover dressed salad in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The lettuce softens after that.
• Croutons: Store cooled croutons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Keep them separate from the salad so they stay crisp.