French Country Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Whisk champagne vinegar, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Gradually add oil, whisking until emulsified. Stir in walnuts. Season with pepper. Set aside.
• Stir onions, balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a skillet; season with pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have absorbed most of the liquid, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Let onions cool.
• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple; cook, flipping once, until just beginning to brown and soften, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat; set aside.
• To serve, arrange 2 slices of ham on each of 4 plates. Toss lettuce with dressing; divide among plates. Arrange cheese and apple slices on top, evenly dividing among plates. Garnish each plate with 2 onions. Serve with bread.

Steps:

• Drop the white and red potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut in 1/2 (quarters if the potatoes are larger) and place in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding.
• Combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a pot with a steamer insert, steam the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. (The potatoes can also be cooked in boiling salted water for the same amount of time.) Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• In a pot of boiling water, blanch the leeks for 30 seconds, or until tender. Rinse in cold water and drain. Set aside.
• Cut the roasted peppers in 1/2 crosswise and then cut them into 1/2-inch slices.
• Cut each potato into 8 pieces. In a medium bowl, mix the potatoes, leeks, peppers, thyme, and tarragon. In a separate bowl, stir together the Champagne vinaigrette with the mustard. Drizzle the vinaigrette on the potato salad and toss gently until the vinaigrette coats the salad evenly. Season with the salt and pepper and toss again.
• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and salt together until the salt dissolves. Slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing is well blended. Season with pepper, to taste.

Steps:

• On extra-large serving platter, arrange all ingredients except dressing. Just before serving, drizzle with dressing.

Steps:

• Fry the bacon over medium heat until almost crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve a splash of bacon fat.
• Return bacon pan to heat and add the bread crumbs, tossing until just golden. Remove from pan and reserve.
• Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and mustard in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and reserved bacon fat until dressing emulsifies. Add a tablespoon of blue cheese and whisk again. Season to taste.
• Roughly chop the lettuce and put in a salad bowl. Add bread crumbs and remaining cheese, then the dressing. Toss to mix. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Combine in a large bowl or jar the shallot, Dijon mustard, salt, lemon juice, and red-wine vinegar. Whisk together to combine well. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Store jar in refrigerator if making ahead and shake well before using.
• Serve with 2 large heads Bibb, butter, or romaine lettuce that has been washed and dried well. Tear lettuce leaves into bite-size pieces and toss with dressing.