chopped nicoise salad...

last saturday morning i saw this being made on the food network. it is a salad i eat a couple of times a month when i'm out. so...i thought i'd try my hand at making it at home.

steaming the potatoes took forever!!! perhaps i should have cut the potatoes...or used smaller ones. the recipe says to steam them for 12 minutes...but i steamed them for over 20 before adding the green beans...and could have probably gone to 30.



Ingredients...

• 4 small red potatoes (about 1/2 pound)
• 1/3 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 12-ounce can light tuna packed in water, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted Greek or Spanish olives
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
• 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Directions...

Boil water in a large pot with a fitted steamer basket. Put the potatoes in the steamer, cover and steam for 15 minutes. Add the green beans and steam for 6 minutes more. Put the cooked potatoes and beans in a dish and set in the refrigerator to cool, or plunge into a bowl of ice water to cool quickly.

Put tuna, olives, onion, tomato and lettuce in a large bowl. Dice the potatoes and green beans, add them to the bowl and toss.

In a small bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well and serve.