Ingredients:

1 6.7-oz tin smoked herring in oil*
2 tablespoons good quality apple cider vinegar
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 bunch French breakfast radishes, thinly sliced
8-9 oz cooked beets, halved and sliced
8 oz cooked Beluga lentils**
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Drain half of the oil from the fish into a small bowl, whisk in vinegar and spices. Discard the remaining oil. Chop the fish. Add to the bowl along with the lentils and onions. Serve at room temperature.

*I buy mine at Trader Joe’s but they are easy to find
**many stores, include Target, sell these fully cooked in vacuum-sealed packets. Simply heat them according to package instructions.

My thoughts:

This is a difficult thing for me to do but I have to do it. We are nearly a month into autumn. The fact that today was the first day I had to wear tall boots (no tights yet!) instead of sandals or ankle boots really drove it home for me. That and the fact that all is left new in the ground are radishes, beets, squash and some hardy greens. So this that in mind, I came home and made this for dinner. It, like quite a few things I seem to enjoy, combines a few ingredients people are skeptical of: radishes, beets, canned smoked fish, lentils…but again, I swear it is really good! Slightly pungent (eat among loved ones) but it really comes together to make a savory, smoky veggie packed salad that makes a lovely lunch or light dinner.