i wouldn't necessarily use the words "quick" or even "easy" to describe most of the recipes on my site, but this one is an exception. it's definitely weeknight-friendly and it's made in one pot. like a traditional nicoise salad, it has eggs, potatoes and is dressed with a french vinaigrette. but unlike others, mine omits tuna and i also forgo the lettuce leaves in the winter. i hardly ever make salad with lettuces once the temperature drops below freezing, i just don't crave it. instead i've added fennel which, quickly blanched, brings a little more freshness to my leaf-free version of this salad. plus i like using the fennel fronds in this dressing.
feel free to use any potatoes you have in this salad. i used purple ones because they're gorgeous and i'm crazy about their shocking colour. and who doesn't need a little colour in the winter, right?
winter salad nicoise
1 lb baby potatoes, peeled if necessary, and halved (large ones quartered)
300 g green beans, tipped
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, stemmed, cut into about 12 thin pieces lengthwise (tough core removed if necessary)
200 g black nicoise olives
6 large, room-temperature eggs
1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbs fennel fronds, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
add the potatoes to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. once boiling, cook for about 10-15 minutes until just fork tender.
meanwhile, whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together until the dressing has emulsified. add all except a large pinch of the fennel fronds to the dressing and mix well. transfer 2 tbs of the dressing to a large bowl.
when the potatoes are done, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water, shake off as much water as possible and transfer them to the large bowl with the 2 tbs of dressing. toss the potatoes well in the dressing until it's absorbed and set aside.
add the beans and fennel to the boiling water for 5 minutes. then transfer them to an ice bath to shock them and stop them from cooking further, or run them under very cold water in a colander. remove from water, set aside and allow them to dry.
to the same boiling water, carefully add the eggs. boil them for 10 minutes. remove them from the boiling water and run them under cold water to stop them from cooking, until they are cool enough to handle. peel the shells and cut the eggs in half lengthwise.
arrange the potatoes on a serving platter and wipe out the bowl used to toss them in dressing. add 2 more tbs of dressing to that bowl and toss the fennel and beans in the dressing. add them to the serving platter. add the eggs and olives to the serving platter, and drizzle the remaining dressing over them and the whole salad. sprinkle the reserved fennel fronds overtop and serve.
serves 4.
