Niçoise Salad

Voorbereiding

Peak-season haricot verts, also known as French green beans, need very little to shine. A quick steam alongside the other defining elements of a Niçoise salad brings out their earthy flavor and sharp snap. Everything for this classic French salad comes together in a steamer basket insert and can be prepared in advance, so all that remains is to fry the crispy capers, the quiet star here, and assemble the platter just before serving. It’s an easy, elegant choice for relaxed entertaining.

*This recipe originally ran stateside on HexClad.com.

1. Fill a HexClad 8QT/7.5 L Hybrid Stock Pot with about 2 inches/5 cm water. Bring to a boil over high.

2. Meanwhile, make dressing. In a small bowl, combine 6 tablespoons/90 ml oil, vinegar, shallot, mustard and honey. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

3. Place potatoes in a large HexClad Steamer Basket for the 8-Quart Stock Pot. Top with eggs, then fit into pot and cover. Let cook undisturbed for 10 minutes, then use tongs to transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water. 

4. Arrange green beans in an even layer over potatoes, cover, and continue to steam until green beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer green beans to a bowl of ice water until chilled, then transfer to a clean dish towel to dry.

5. Continue to cook potatoes until fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes more, then remove steamer basket from pot and run under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer potatoes to a clean dish towel to dry.

6. While potatoes cook, fry capers. In a HexClad 8"/20 cm Hybrid Fry Pan over medium, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

7. Peel eggs and quarter lengthwise. On a large serving patter, arrange potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, eggs, tuna, and olives on a large serving platter, then top with crispy fried capers and dill.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS

Potatoes and green beans can be cooked and eggs can be cooked and peeled up to one day in advance, refrigerate in an airtight container. Dressing can be made one day ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container