Niçoise Salad Revisited
4
servingsNiçoise Salad can be a bit intimidating – all those ingredients to prepare! And I must admit this is probably the longest recipe I’ll ever post here. But each element is actually simple in this Yankee version of the French composed salad. I urge you to give it a try. My lunch and dinner guests love it!
Ingredients
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp minced shallot
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and white pepper to taste
4 chicken breasts
white wine vinegar
oregano oil
4 medium potatoes, in 3/4″ cubes
duck fat or peanut oil
2 cups French beans
2 quarts water
¼ cup salt
4 hard boiled eggs
2 tbsp mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sweet relish
2 cups of cooked corn, removed from cobs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp AP flour
1/2 tsp cumin
canola oil spray
4 cups of romaine or other leafy greens, torn or sliced crosswise
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 cup picholine olives
Directions
- Combine lemon juice, shallot, tarragon, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Vinaigrette can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
- Mix equal parts white wine vinegar and oregano oil. Salt lightly. Place chicken breasts in the marinade and leave for 30-60 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
- Cook diced potatoes in salted water for 8 minutes. Remove, drain well, and spread out to dry on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add green beans and the 1/4 cup of salt. Return to boil and cook until beans are bright green and tender, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
- Halve the boiled eggs and remove yolks to small bowl. Add mayo, mustard, and relish and mix until smooth. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Fill the whites with the yolk mixture and set aside.
- Combine corn, beaten egg, flour, cumin, and salt & pepper to taste. Spray mini muffin cups with canola oil spray and fill each cup with corn mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven until just beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Prepare a grill and grill chicken breasts, searing on each side and then finishing on cooler part of the grill until done. Cover until serving. Slice each breast diagonally before plating.
- Heat duck fat or peanut oil in small saucepan to 375 degrees. Cook potato cubes in small batches until crisp and browned.
- Toss salad greens with 1/3 of the vinaigrette. With greens on the bottom of each plate, arrange each of the elements of the salad on top of the greens. Serve with slices of baguettes and extra dressing for pouring.