Our house salad.

A very beloved salad in our family. And, it’s easy to personalize with optional toppings.

Just the Recipe | 2 Servings

Ingredients

4 C. Romaine Lettuce

2 Hard Boiled Eggs, quartered

1 Can Tuna, drained

12 oz. Red Potatoes, Marinated

8 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

3 Radishes, diced

1/2 C. Diced Cucumber

Optional Toppings:

Black Olives

Crumbled Feta Cheese

Sliced Red Onion

Simple Vinaigrette

1/2 C. Red Wine Vinegar

1 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TBS. Dijon Mustard

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Optional: 1/2 Cup loosely packed fresh basil and oregano and/or mint

Steps

Make the Dressing:
- Add oil, vinegar, roughly chopped shallot, and mustard to a food processor and pulse until pureed. If using the fresh, green herbs wash and de-stem. Add to the rest of the pureed ingredients with salt and pepper and pulse until well combined.
- Alternately, whisk together in a bowl until well combined. If using fresh, green herbs, wash and de-stem. Roll tightly (like a cigar) and chiffon thinly to whisk into the dressing.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
Marinate the Red Potatoes and Tuna:
- Boil the potatoes and cook until you can just stick a fork through a potato but it’s still firm. Drain and cool in a strainer, with a towel over the top to continue steaming lightly. When cool enough to handle, slice into coins. In a flat dish (like a brownie pan) lay the potatoes flat, leaving a corner of the pan free from potatoes (see photos below). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Open and drain the tuna, add to the corner of the dish with no potatoes (see photos below).
- Generously drizzle the potatoes and tuna with the vinaigrette. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2-3 or up to 48 hours.
Hard boil the eggs:
- See tips for options. This can be done in advance as well. Hard boiled, peeled eggs store well in the fridge for up to 4 days. This salad is a good candidate for meal prepping!
Prepare the rest of the toppings by washing the veggies and chopping/slicing/dicing as desired.
Assemble the Salad:
- Remove the potatoes and tuna at least thirty minutes prior to assembling so the dressing comes to room temperature.
- Add 2 cups of chopped or torn lettuce to each salad bowl.
- Evenly distribute the potatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, diced radish and cucumber, and eggs to each bowl.
- Add 1/2 of the tuna to the center of each salad.
- Drizzle the extra marinade over each salad, adding more dressing, if needed.
- Top with optional toppings as desired.

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

Cook the eggs in a pressure cooker or boil with slices of lemon to make it easier to peel.
- Instant Pot: place a stainless steel steamer basket in pot. Add 1 cup of water. Add the eggs and cook on high pressure for 6-7 minutes. Quick release.
- Stove Top: boil water and turn down heat to low. Gently lower in eggs one at a time. Turn heat back to medium and cook for 10-11 minutes.
- Immediately submerged boiled eggs in ice water and allow to cool for 5 or more minutes.
- Peel immediately, if you store them in the fridge before peeling they will dry out and be harder to peel. You can store whole, peeled eggs in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
Oregano in this dressing really elevates the Mediterranean flavor. If you want, add 1/4 tsp. of dried oregano if fresh is not easily available. Dried oregano can be quite strong, so just a little will do.
Store the extra dressing in a jar, in the refrigerator, for at least a week. Label (including the date) so your people know what’s in the jar! Remove right before starting to make a salad so it has time to warm up a bit and shake well to combine. Taking the lid of the jar once you remove it from the fridge can also help the chill escape so the olive oil warms up.
I love to meal prep this salad. Getting the potatoes and tuna marinating early make the flavors even better. Hard boiled eggs keep well also.