“oh well, we forgot the olives for the salade niçoise” dinner: lettuce, green beans, potatoes, eggs, tuna, garlic, anchovy, mustard, white wine vinegar, olive oil.
- Hard boil some eggs, blanch some green beans, and boil some potatoes. (My hard-boiling regimen for eggs: Cover them with an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil uncovered. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 9 minutes (adjust for the size of the eggs). Immediately drain submerge the eggs in running cold water until the eggs are cool.
- Meanwhile, begin the dressing by pounding up a few cloves or garlic and several anchovies in a mortar and pestle with some salt. Once you have a paste, add some white wine vinegar and a few dollops of mustard. (My affection for moutarde a l’ancienne is extreme.) Stir, and then whisk in the olive oil.
- When the potatoes are cooked, cut them up toss them in some dressing while they’re still warm. Peel and quarter the eggs, and sprinkle them with a little salt. Toss the beans in some dressing. Toss the washed and dried lettuce in some dressing, and serve it the potatoes, eggs, green beans, and some drained, flaked olive-oil-packed tuna.
- If you have some olives, put those suckers on there too for Pete’s sake!
