Salad Nicoise

So I definitely loved all of the great food I ate on my vacation in the South of France, but one of my favorite dishes was such a simple one, Salad Nicoise. A crisp clean salad of greens, tuna, eggs, olives, and a light vinaigrette was great for lunch, or a light dinner back home. I had always envisioned it with green beans and potatoes, but those were never included.  When making this for some friends, I had to add those, so this may not be the most traditional recipe, but it sure was good. Oh yeah, what a great excuse to dig into a nice crusty baguette along with it.

Salad

3 heads Boston lettuce (chopped, rinsed, and dried0

6 small red skinned potatoes (boiled, cooled, and sliced)

6 hardboiled eggs

½ pound green beans (steamed to al dente and placed directly in an ice bath)

1 large can tuna (in water)

1/3 Cup good Nicoise or Greek Olives

Place lettuce on a platter and arrange ingredients on top. Drizzle dressing over top and serve with nice crusty bread.

Dressing (I lightened up the vinaigrette in the recipe, but if it too tangy for you; feel free to add more olive oil.)

Juice of one Lemon

¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Small Shallot finely minced

1 Tablespoons Tarragon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar and shake well. Place in the fridge for at least half an hour to let all of the flavors combine