Salad Nicoise: minus the tuna

Can you imagine a prettier salad? 

Believe me, it tasted as great as it looks!

 Perfect for a light summer dinner.

This one is definitely in the rotation!
I could eat this every day. No kidding! 

(See Taste of Home, April/May 2012 for original recipe)

Here’s what you need:

1/3 C olive oil

¼ C lemon juice

1 t dried oregano

1 t dried thyme

1 t Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic

Salt, pepper to taste

2 T water

Small red potatoes

Fresh asparagus

Fresh green beans

Dark red kidney beans

Bib lettuce or other soft leaf lettuce

Hard boiled eggs, quartered

Marinated artichoke hearts - drained

Best quality Kalamata or Nicoise olives

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the lovely dressing by whisking the lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. The best way to deal with the raw garlic is to peel the clove and grate it on a fine rasp. Just make sure it is minced or grated as finely as possible. Add water to taste, making sure the dressing is not too heavy or oily. I like mine a bit thinner and I find that by loosening the dressing just a bit with some water, I get the perfect consistency.

Boil the eggs. Cool completely and cut in pretty quarters.

Quarter and boil the potatoes until fork tender. While still warm, pour some dressing over them. The warm potatoes will absorb all the tangy goodness and increase in taste.  The potatoes taste much better if they are never refrigerated – keep them at room temperature.

Steam the beans and asparagus. I do mine in the same steamer, being careful not to overcook the asparagus. Cool under cold running water. Drizzle some dressing over the steamed beans and asparagus.

Drain and rinse the kidney beans. Drizzle some dressing over the beans.

Arrange the lettuce on a large serving platter. Drizzle some dressing over the lettuce. Arrange the remaining salad components around the platter – drizzling dressing over all.

(printable recipe)

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