Warm Salad of Autumn Greens With Plum Vinaigrette

From Fine Cooking. This was part of our Thanksgiving meal. It made a luscious first course. The dressing, in particular, is wonderful and unique.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• For the plum vinaigrette

• 5  tablespoons  damson plums or 5  tablespoons  beach plum preserves
• 1⁄4 cup champagne vinegar or 1⁄4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1  cup canola oil (or peanut oil)
• 1  tablespoon  chopped shallot
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

• For the greens

• 1 (10 ounce) bag spinach or 1  lb  fresh loose spinach
• 3 -4  cups swiss chard (red or green chard is fine, about one bunch) or 3 -4  cups  young kale (red or green chard is fine, about one bunch)
• 1⁄2-1  lb frisee (1 large or 2 small heads) or 1⁄2-1  lb escarole (1 large or 2 small heads)
•  chestnuts (roasted, peeled, and quartered)

Directions

1. Up to one week ahead:
2. In a blender or food processor, pulse the preserves, vinegar, and mustard until smooth. Continue pulsing and slowly add the oil until incorporated. Add the shallots, salt, and pepper; pulse briefly. Refrigerate in a bottle.
3. Up to four days ahead:
4. Stem the spinach and chard (or kale), and cut the chard or kale into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Cut the bottoms off the frisée or escarole.
5. Mix all the greens, wash thoroughly, and spin dry. Wrap loosely in damp (not wet) paper towels and store in sealed zip-top bags. They should stay fresh this way for 5 days.
6. Just before serving:
7. Bring the dressing to room temperature. In a very large sauté pan (preferably nonstick), heat about 1 Tbs. of the olive oil over medium-high heat and add one-third of the greens, one-third of the nuts, and a bit of salt and pepper.
8. Sauté 1 to 2 min., stirring all the time, until the leaves are slightly wilted. Drizzle a little dressing on them, toss lightly with tongs, and transfer the nuts and greens to a serving platter.
9. Repeat with the remaining greens in two more batches, adding only enough olive oil to the pan as needed to sauté.