SMOKED SALMON NIÇOISE SALAD

This isn’t quite the traditional Niçoise salad, but it has the same flavors and is a great twist on a weekday lunch. I love me a poached egg and I found that the flavors blend better than a hard boiled egg that is typical on a Niçoise.

INGREDIENTS:
Haricots Verts (thin green beans)
A bag of baby potatoes
Handful of radishes
Poached egg
Smoked salmon
Red onion
Basil
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Dijon mustard (optional)

Blanch green beans by boiling in salted water for 3 min and then dropping in ice water. Meanwhile cook baby potatoes (about 8 min in boiling water). Slice any larger potatoes in half so that they are bite size. Thinly slice the red onion. In the same pot you used for your green beans, bring the water back to a boil and poach your egg.

Poaching: Crack your egg into a shallow bowl. This will help to ensure a safe toss into the water. Once your water is boiling, use a spoon and stir until you create a little swirl/tornado in the water. At this point, carefully drop your egg in and stir continuously making sure not to touch the egg but keep it in the swirl. It is critical that your water is at a rolling boil before you put your egg in. When the egg goes in, you water will not be boiling. Keep egg in swirl until water comes back to a boil. Wait about 30 seconds and then using a slotted spoon, remove egg.

Slice radishes and combine with green beans, onion and potatoes. In a cup combine juice of a lemon with olive oil (depending on how tart you like things, I would recommend 1.5 parts olive oil to 1 lemon). If you like Dijon mustard you can add a little scoop (about 1tsp) in there as well. Toss everything all together and season with lots of salt and pepper. Top with ripped basil and pieces of smoked salmon. Enjoy!