Innovations in salad-making don’t come along every day, and salad cookbooks in the modern era tend to share a certain look: top-down view, round bowl. Some of those books dispense with extra styling elements and use the same plain, white bowl throughout.
I remember being served a first course of salad in a small rustic restaurant in Villefranche-sur-Mer wherein the server brought a large handled basket of pristine, freshly washed lettuces and whole vegetables to choose from, presumably from the garden outside. Our pointing fingers led to deft carving, returned to the table in a heap on a cutting board, with pots of dip-consistency dressings.
This recipe from the new “Leon Happy Salads” (Conran/Octopus) brought that memory to the fore. The scatter of long romaine lettuce leaves topped with creamy Dijon dressing and a bean medley glistening from its own vinaigrette work together. There’s much to crunch and chew; the presence of crisped bacon turns the salad into a main course meat lovers can appreciate. It deserves a nice display and, for that matter, a better name.
I’ve been told that long lists of ingredients are a turn-off when readers are looking for ideas. Although this has more components than we like to run for this column — and we even cut out a few — trust me when I say it’s not more than you can handle on a weeknight.
It might be fun to assemble on a big serving board, then bring to the table and let folks dig in. It may inspire you to literally throw together your own future combinations.
Bean and Bacon Salad
4 servings
Serve with warm biscuits. Adapted from “Leon Happy Salads” by Jane Baxter and John Vincent (Conran/Octopus, 2016).
6 slices bacon
7 ounces sugar snap peas
7 ounces haricots verts (thin French green beans)
Small handful fresh chives
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Kosher salt
Leaves from 2 to 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons regular or low-fat mayonnaise (do not use nonfat)
2 tablespoons regular or low-fat sour cream or crème fraîche (do not use nonfat)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce or 2 romaine lettuce hearts
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Line a plate with paper towels. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Cut the bacon crosswise into ¾-inch pieces. Arrange in a single layer in a wide saute pan; cook for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, or until it is crisped and browned at the edges.
String the sugar snap peas. Trim the haricots verts. Snip 2 tablespoons’ worth of the chives.
Transfer the bacon to the paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan; add it to a mixing bowl with the vinegar, whole-grain mustard, half of the chives, the tablespoon of oil and the maple syrup, whisk.
Add a good pinch of salt to the boiling water, then add the haricots verts and sugar snaps. Once the water returns to a boil, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Transfer the haricots verts and sugar snaps to the bowl with the bacon fat dressing; toss until coated.
Coarsely chop the tarragon. Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream or crème fraîche, lemon juice, tarragon and Dijon mustard in a medium bowl to form a creamy dressing. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Cut the romaine into quarters, discarding the cores. Arrange on a platter; drizzle with the Dijon dressing. Scatter the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining chives over the dressing, then pile the dressed beans and the bacon on top. Serve at room temperature.
Per serving (using low-fat mayonnaise and sour cream): 220 calories, 9 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 380 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugar
