Salade Nicoise

Salade Nicoise

Start to finish: 35 minutes
Hands-on time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided, plus more for sprinkling
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 red-skinned new potatoes, each cut into 6 pieces
6 oz green beans, trimmed and snapped in two, about 2 cups

4 handfuls mixed greens
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
2 store-bought hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut into strips
3 cans (5 oz) oil pack tuna, preferably imported, drained
1/4 cup Nicoise or kalamata olives
2 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs, such as chives, thyme, basil, parsley (optional)

Preparation:

Fill a medium saucepan pan with water and heat it over medium-high heat, covered, until it boils.

While the water comes up to a boil, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and olive oil in a large bowl along with a few grinds of pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. Transfer half the dressing to a smaller bowl.

When the water boils, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and potatoes. Bring the pan back to a boil over medium-high heat and boil the potatoes for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low if it is boiling too rapidly. Add the green beans and cook for another 5 minutes or until the beans are crisp-tender and the potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain the potatoes and beans and run cold water over them to cool them down slightly.

Gently toss the cooked potatoes and beans with the dressing in the large bowl. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired.

Arrange the greens on four plates (or one big platter, your choice) and top them with the dressed potatoes and green beans. Scatter over the tomatoes, egg, red pepper, tuna, olives and salt and pepper the salads again. Drizzle the remaining dressing liberally over the salad and serve immediately. No garnishing required.

Extra Hungry? Extra easy. Just add crusty bread and extra virgin olive oil sprinkled with grey sea salt for dipping.

In the glass: In the spirit of alfresco dining in the south of France, what could be better than a rosé. Look for a bottle from Tavel. It has lots of fruit but a dry finish that works especially well with the blast of flavors going on in this dish.

Click here to print this page |  Recipe courtesy of Carla Snyder

Carla has spent the past 30 years in the food world as a caterer, artisan baker, cooking school teacher, food writer and author of 6 cook books including the James Beard nominated Big Book of Appetizers. Her passion is sharing fresh, cooked-from-scratch weeknight meals that cut prep time and practically eliminate that nightly sink-full of dishes. Look for Carla on Facebook, Twitter (carlacooks), Pinterest and at ravenouskitchen.com where she blogs about everything from cooking for two to easy weekend entertaining for a crowd.