Cucumber Salad with Dill Creme Fraiche and Crispy Garlic
Sometimes I just want a salad. I love to eat salad but have never been one to make them at home. I mean fresh greens from the garden with a quick vinaigrette I am all about and will gladly eat every day but composed salads just aren’t my thing. The cucumbers and the dressing can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the the refrigerator for quick assembly at meal time. This salad will be on repeat for my lunch box with a side of peppermint chewing gum to combat the adverse effects of all the extra garlic chips I tend to sneak in!

- 1 cup vegetable oil/canola oil
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 English cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber julienned or spiralized
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dill fresh and chopped
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
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In a medium sized sauce pan heat oil and garlic slices over medium heat stirring until garlic is golden brown. This should take around 8 minutes. Remove garlic with a spider strainer to a paper towel lined baking sheet and allow to cool; set aside.
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Arrange sliced cucumbers in a circular pattern on medium sized serving platter. Place julienned cucumbers in center of the plate. In small bowl whisk together creme fraiche, lemon zest, lemon juice, black pepper, and dill. Place large dollops (or if you want to get fancy, pipe) of the dressing around the the cucumbers. Top with the crispy garlic and feta.
∗ Watch garlic carefully as it cooks because it goes from perfect to scrunch-your-face-up bitter in a very short window!
∗ Feel free to garnish with additional lemon zest and black pepper