Salade Nicoise

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 or 3 lemons)
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leave
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• table salt & fresh ground pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 10 small red potatoes (each about 2 inches in diameter, about 1 1/4 pounds total, each potato scrubbed and quartered)
• table salt & fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth
• 2 heads boston lettuce (about 8 cups loosely packed) or 2 heads bibb lettuce, leaves washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 8 cups loosely packed)
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 3 small vine-ripened tomatoes (about 14 ounces, each cored and cut into eighths)
• 1 small red onion (about 4 ounces, sliced very thin)
• 8 ounces green beans, stem ends trimmed and each bean halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup nicoise olive
• 10 -12 anchovy fillets (optional)
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed (optional)

Recipe

• 1 for the vinaigrette:.
• 2 whisk lemon juice, oil, shallot, thyme, basil, oregano, and mustard in medium bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
• 3 for the salad:
• 4 place eggs in small saucepan, cover by 1 inch with cold water, and bring to boil over high heat. remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes.
• 5 meanwhile, fill medium bowl with 1 quart water and 2 cups ice cubes. with slotted spoon, transfer eggs to ice water; let stand 5 minutes. peel eggs and quarter lengthwise; set aside (reserve ice water).
• 6 meanwhile, bring potatoes and 4 quarts cold water to boil in large dutch oven or stockpot over high heat. add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until potatoes are tender when poked with paring knife, 5 to 8 minutes.
• 7 with slotted spoon, gently transfer potatoes to medium bowl (do not discard boiling water).
• 8 toss warm potatoes with vermouth and salt and pepper to taste; let stand 1 minute.
• 9 toss in 1/4 cup vinaigrette; set aside.
• 10 while potatoes cook, toss lettuce with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in large bowl until coated.
• 11 arrange bed of lettuce on very large, flat serving platter.
• 12 place tuna in now-empty bowl and break up with fork.
• 13 add 1/2 cup vinaigrette and stir to combine; mound tuna in center of lettuce.
• 14 toss tomatoes, red onion, 3 tablespoons vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste in now-empty bowl; arrange tomato-onion mixture in mound at edge of lettuce bed.
• 15 arrange reserved potatoes in separate mound at edge of lettuce bed.
• 16 return water to boil; add 1 tablespoon salt and green beans. cook until tender but crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
• 17 drain beans, transfer to reserved ice water, and let stand until just cool, about 30 seconds; dry beans well on triple layer of paper towels.
• 18 toss beans, 3 tablespoons vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste in now-empty bowl; arrange in separate mound at edge of lettuce bed.
• 19 arrange reserved eggs, olives, and anchovies (if using) in separate mounds at edge of lettuce bed.
• 20 drizzle eggs with remaining 2 tablespoons dressing, sprinkle entire salad with capers (if using).
• 21 serve immediately.