Late summer is prime time for local produce, and when green beans and waxy potatoes turn up at the farmers’ market, I love to make this main-dish salad featuring green beans, potatoes, canned tuna, and hard-boiled eggs. I have always thought of this dish as a Niçoise salad, and several books in my cookbook library, including ones by Julia Child, offer variations on this theme.
However, when I consulted the bible of French gastronomy, Larousse Gastronomique, I learned that “neither potatoes nor cooked vegetables should be added to this salad.” The Larousse version includes tomatoes, cucumber, fava beans, artichokes, green peppers, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, and olives. So much for versions of salade niçoise, offered on trendy restaurant menus, that showcase grilled fresh tuna and roasted potatoes.…
I’m sure that the Larousse Gastronomique description of the classic Provençal salad is delicious, but this simple potato-and-green-bean version, which I have renamed in honor of authenticity, is my go-to for a hearty late-summer lunch or light supper. I have simplified the recipe and added practical, nutritious canned chickpeas and seasonal cherry tomatoes. Instead of garnishing the salad with anchovy fillets (finishing an opened can of anchovies is always a dilemma), I season the vinaigrette with a little anchovy paste (available in convenient tubes in most supermarkets). A whisper of anchovy adds a lot of umami to the salad. If you can’t face anchovies, miso is a worthy substitute.
This is a very flexible concept. Depending on what you have on hand, top the salad with pitted black olives and/or capers. This recipe makes 2 servings, but it’s easy to adjust the proportions to serve one or four diners.
One technique to note: Toss the potatoes with the vinaigrette while they are still warm so they can absorb the flavors of the dressing.
As you savor the remaining days of our short Vermont summer, transport yourself to the South of France with these Provençal flavors!
Ingredients
Anchovy Vinaigrette
1 glove garlic, crushed and peeled
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon anchovy paste or white miso
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup wine vinegar
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
4 ounces small red or white potatoes (about 4), scrubbed and halved
4 ounces green beans (1 cup), stem ends trimmed
¾ cup rinsed canned chickpeas (half a 15-ounce can)
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 2.5-ounce packet (or half a 5-ounce can) tuna, drained
2 hard-boiled eggs (see Tip below), quartered
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Preparation
1. To prepare the vinaigrette: Place the garlic on a cutting board and sprinkle with the salt. Mash the garlic to a paste with the side of a chef’s knife. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the mustard, anchovy paste (or miso), and pepper; whisk to blend. Whisk in the vinegar until blended. Gradually whisk in the oil. Transfer ¼ cup of the vinaigrette to a medium bowl. Reserve the remainder for drizzling.
2. To prepare the salad: In a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the potatoes to the basket, cover, and steam until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to the medium bowl with the vinaigrette and toss gently with a flexible spatula to coat. Let the potatoes sit in the dressing, tossing occasionally, while you prepare the green beans.
3. Add the green beans to the steamer basket, cover, and steam until tender-crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking.
4. Arrange the potatoes, green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, tuna, and eggs on serving platter (or 2 plates). Drizzle some of the remaining vinaigrette over the salad. (You may have some vinaigrette left over.) Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Serves: 2
Tip: You can refrigerate the vinaigrette (Step 1) for up to 4 days.
Tip: Simmering eggs in a saucepan is certainly not difficult, but I always use my multicooker (aka Instant Pot) to prepare hard-boiled eggs because the timing is precise. Say goodbye to green rings around the yolks of your hard-boiled eggs! Here’s how to make hard-boiled eggs in the multicooker:
Place the rack in the multicooker, and add 1 cup water. Place the eggs on the rack. Lock the lid in place, and twist the steam-release handle to the sealed position. Select Pressure Cook High/10 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, carefully release the pressure manually. Using tongs, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Let cool in the ice water for a few minutes, then peel. The ice bath helps separate the membrane from the shell, which facilitates peeling.
Patsy Jamieson