Who wants to be stuck cooking indoors when the weather outside is so beautiful? Not us. This easy, veg-forward dish will get you out of the kitchen in a flash.
Yes, there’s a bit of prep involved in this hearty salad from the South of France, but you can do almost all of it ahead of time and assemble as needed. Feel free to adjust the ingredients as you like, too — if you like more eggs, add a couple more to the pot; if you hate olives, leave ’em out.
Vinaigrette:
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp white or red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 small shallot, chopped very fine
• Optional: Finely chopped fresh basil, tarragon and/or oregano
Salad:
• 1 lb small red, yellow or fingerling potatoes
• Salt and pepper as needed
• 8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 head butter lettuce, torn into small pieces, or a bag of mixed salad greens from one of our local farms
• 2 tins good quality tuna packed in oil, such as the Rio Mare brand (see note)
• 1 pint container cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup Niçoise or other dark, briny olive
• Optional: capers, anchovies, thinly sliced red onion and/or thinly sliced radishes, as desired
Make the vinaigrette:
Place the oil, vinegar, mustard and, if using, the shallots and herbs in a jar with a lid. Cover and shake well until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (You can also whisk everything together in a smallish bowl if you’d rather.) Can be made a day ahead of time; shake (or whisk) again just before using.
Prep the ingredients for the salad:
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Add about 2 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.
While they are still warm, cut the potatoes into halves (or, if they are quite big, quarters), then toss them in a bowl with 2 to 4 Tbsp of vinaigrette.
Blanch the beans: Fill a medium-sized pot halfway with water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Plunge the green beans into the boiling water and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them cooking.
Boil the eggs: There is much debate over whether to boil the water first then add the eggs, or to add the eggs to cold water and bring them to a boil. If you have a preferred method, follow that; ours is to bring a small pot of water to a boil and carefully submerge the room-temperature eggs into it. Reduce heat slightly and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on whether you prefer your yolks jammy or well done.
Drain the pot and pour cold water over the eggs to stop them cooking. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the eggs and slice each in half.
Assemble the salad:
This is a composed salad, not a tossed one, so keep the ingredients in separate mounds and arrange them however you think is attractive.
Spread the lettuce on a large platter or divide it between four plates.
Drain the canned tuna and mound it in the centre of the lettuce.
Place the potatoes and green beans in mounds to the side of the tuna, then arrange the tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs and olives around them. If you like, scatter capers, anchovies, thinly sliced red onion and/or radishes over the salad. Drizzle everything with the remaining vinaigrette.
Serve immediately — this salad should be served slightly warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.
Note: If you want to make this salad fancy, you can also use fresh tuna in place of the tinned. Simply sear a tuna loin or a couple of tuna steaks in a little bit of hot oil, turning it quickly to cook all sides, but leaving the centre rare. Slice it and arrange the slices to make it the centrepiece of the salad.