Recipe
Simple Caesar Salad
While I used to make Classic Caesar Salad (whisking together pasteurized raw eggs, lemon juice, olive oil, minced anchovies and Worcestershire and topping the salad with parmesan and homemade croutons) now I make what I call a Simple Caesar Salad.
Simple because it’s simple to make. I make a Caesar dressing (recipe is here) that tastes great, can be made in advance, and can be refrigerated and used over about three weeks. I use the same dressing to make the Grilled Caesar Salads on this site, as well.
(I recommend the NYT recipe by Mark Bittman if you are interested in trying a Classic Caesar Salad.)
Serves 2
Make the croutons by the batch and store in a jar. Make the dressing by the batch and store in the fridge. When you’re in the mood for a Caesar Salad, it is as easy as prepping your lettuce and tossing everything together.
Ingredients
Romaine lettuce, washed, chopped, and spun
Homemade croutons (or store bought)
Instructions
Step 1
Make the dressing.
Step 2
Make the croutons.
Step 3
Wash, chop, and spin the lettuce. If you don’t have a spinner, wrap the chopped and washed lettuce in a clean dishtowel and spin it over your head. (I recommend doing this outside as all the water from the lettuce is going to go everywhere!) If you want, you can prep your lettuce in advance and refrigerate covered, until ready to use.
Step 4
Put the lettuce and croutons in a bowl. Spoon some dressing over them and toss to coat. Add as much or as little dressing as you like.
Step 5
Serve immediately. Top with additional parmesan and fresh ground pepper as desired.
Roasted Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 16-19 little potatoes cut into ½” chunks
- 1 T olive oil
- ½ sweet onion diced
- ½ - 1 whole pepper sweet green, yellow, orange, red or poblano diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ¼ c fresh chopped parsley leaves or 2 T dry
- 1 T chopped fresh chives if you have them
- 2 T good mayonnaise Dukes or Hellmann’s
- 1 t Dijon mustard
- 2 t white vinegar
- 1 t smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the potatoes. I use the little mixed red and white potatoes you can buy in 3 and 5 lb. bags. They are prewashed, so I generally cut them into ½” chunks and throw them into a bowl of salted water. Swish them around, then drain completely. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dried parsley, and toss to coat. Spread them on your air-fryer basket over a piece of parchment paper to catch the drippings. Shake out as much moisture as you can before putting into the oven. Air fry at 385° for about 15 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature. Alternatively, roast them in your conventional oven at 400° for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
- Toss the potatoes, veggies and fresh herbs together in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the mayo, mustard, vinegar, paprika, and a bit of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the veggies and toss to coat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. I serve this salad at room temp, but you can also refrigerate it for a few hours and serve cold.