FCSIP134.pdf

niçoise salad with grilled

tuna and potatoes

If basil is popping up in your garden right
about now, this is the salad for you. The
basil vinaigrette adds the perfect flavor
boost to this texture-rich dish. The pota-
toes and tuna are grilled quickly, giving
this classic a summery twist. Serves 6

18 small (baby) red potatoes (about 1¼ lb.)
Kosher salt
12 oz. haricots verts (thin green beans),
trimmed
3 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 tsp. honey
1½ lb. 1-inch-thick fresh tuna steaks
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 oz. small inner leaves of red leaf lettuce,
washed, dried, and torn into bite-size
pieces (4½ lightly packed cups)
3 oz. baby arugula, washed and spun dry
(3¾ lightly packed cups)
16 large basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1 recipe Basil Vinaigrette (at right)
1¼ lb. small ripe red, yellow, and orange
tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup Niçoise olives (or other black olives)
3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered

Put the potatoes and 2 tsp. salt in a large sauce-
pan, add enough water to cover by 1 inch, and
bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook
until easily pierced with a wooden skewer, 15 to
20 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Fill the saucepan three-quarters full of fresh
water and bring to a boil. Add the haricots
verts and ½ tsp. salt to the water and cook
until you can just bite through a bean with little
resistance, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, rinse with cool
water to stop the cooking, and set aside.
Heat a gas grill to high or prepare a hot
charcoal fire.
Combine 1 Tbs. of the mayonnaise and the
honey in a small bowl. Season the tuna steaks
with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper and coat
both sides with the mayonnaise mixture. When
the grates are very hot, grill the tuna until dark
marks form on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per
side for medium rare. (If you prefer medium
tuna, grill over medium-high heat for about
3 minutes per side.) Transfer to a cutting board
and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into ¼-inch-
thick strips.
Cut the potatoes in half and toss them
in a mixing bowl with the remaining 2 Tbs.
mayonnaise, the mustard, and ½ tsp. salt. Turn
the grill to medium high or let the fire die down

some. Grill the potatoes without disturbing

except to flip, until brown grill marks form on

both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Set 6 large dinner plates on your counter. Put

the red leaf lettuce, the arugula, and half of the

basil in a large mixing bowl and toss with 2 to

3 Tbs. of the vinaigrette.

Divide the lettuce among the plates, piling

it in neat, tall mounds at 12 o’clock. Combine

the tomatoes and the remaining basil in the

mixing bowl and toss with 2 to 3 Tbs. of the

vinaigrette. Tuck in the tomatoes to the left of

the lettuce and arrange the tuna to the right

of the lettuce. Put the olives in the middle of

each plate. Toss the green beans in the bowl

with about 2 Tbs. of the vinaigrette. Arrange

the grilled potatoes and the green beans at the

bottom of each plate and tuck in the hard-

cooked egg quarters wherever they look best.

Drizzle a few teaspoons of the vinaigrette over

the tuna and the potatoes on every plate. Serve

right away.

basil vinaigrette

Yields about 1 cup

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup red-wine vinegar

3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh basil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. honey

¼ tsp. kosher salt

18 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Put all the ingredients in a glass mea-

suring cup or a jar with a tight-fitting lid

and whisk or vigorously shake to com-

bine. Whisk again just before using.

You can store the vinaigrette in the

refrigerator for up to 5 days, but don’t

add the basil until 15 to 30 minutes

before using.

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