Recipe: Potato Salad a La Nicoise

You know those potato salads you see in almost every grocery store deli? Covered in a vat of mayonnaise? Do you like? Well, apparently someone does because they always seem to be readily available at any time of the year, no matter where you are. If this has kept you away from potato salad I hope to get your love for this "French" take on the salad. If you are not a fan of eggs or olives, no worries. It is pretty damn tasty with or without. And you can always substitute with green beans or corn off the cob.

2 pounds of baby nugget potatoes
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3/4 to 1 cup mixed olives
4 poached eggs (optional) See poached eggs recipe
2 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard, grainy or smooth
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
5 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Servings: 4

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook 10-15 minutes or until done.
Remove and drain in a colander. Put in a large salad bowl with tomatoes.
Add all dressing ingredients into a food processor. Blend well.
Pour dressing over warm potatoes and tomatoes. Plate and top with olives, chives and shallots.

Optional: Place poached egg on top so yolk acts like a gooey warm sauce on top of potatoes.

Recipe: Dandelion Salad with Poached Egg & Lox

Dandelion Salad. If you are not familiar with this foliage of nummyness let me tell you...get acquainted. Kinda like a frisée. Has a bit of bitterness to it but in the good endive-way. And if you don't like endives...well then...moving on.
If you cannot find dandelion leaves then frisée would be your best substitute. Or even arugula. My wonderful father scoured our property in Whistler and gave me a big bag of the stuff. If you are planning to get them in the wild, two words of advice:

1) Make sure you wash the greens WELL. Dogs rule in Whistler.
2) Pick them early. Like right now. May is when they are in season and first sprouting. As when they get larger and older, they turn REALLY bitter. Kinda like me in 20 years.

Traditionally the salad is made with a poached egg, which I did, but I also added lox, feta and a touch of pesto. Consume with a big ol' glass of red vino. Best of all this took around 15 minutes to assemble. No, actually best of all, it took me somewhere in France without having to get on a plane.


8 large handfuls of dandelion leaves, chopped
HINT: Chopping the leaves cuts the bitterness and also makes it easier to put in your mouth
8 pieces of salmon lox
1/4 to 1/2 cup feta
4 tablespoons pesto
1 lemon cut in quarters
Salt & pepper to taste
4 poached eggs (see poached eggs recipe)

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon shallot minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Servings: 4

Toss greens and dressing in a large bowl. Evenly divide among 4 plates. Place poached egg in the middle of the salad. Top egg with a tablespoon of pesto. Assemble pieces of lox around edge of salad. Sprinkle approx. 1 to 2 tablespoons of feta around and on top of salad. Take quarter of lemon and squeeze over lox. Season with salt and pepper.