Author Notes: Last summer, my husband and I enjoyed a lovely dinner al fresco. Chilled rosé, grilled steaks, and this wonderful summery salad that served as a perfect accompaniment to all. I love how each ingredient is cut to the same size but each maintains its own texture and flavor; somehow, although each element is soft, the dish in its entirety isn’t. —em-i-lis
Serves: 2
Ingredients
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2
medium Yukon gold potatoes, steamed, chilled and cut into 1/2? cubes
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small handful fresh basil, chopped
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1
flavorful tomato (I used a yellow heirloom called Tangerine), cut into 1/2? cubes, chunks of seeds discarded
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1-2
tablespoons chopped shallot
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1
avocado, cut into 1/2? cubes (do this just before putting salad together)
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1-2
garlic cloves, minced (if 1, make sure it’s large)
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1/4
cup extra-virgin olive oil
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2
tablespoons (maybe more) fresh lemon juice
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salt and pepper
Directions
- In a small saucepan (butter warmer is the right kind of size), heat the olive oil until hot. Add minced garlic, a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice and remove from heat. Sprinkle with salt.
- When warm, pour over the chilled potato cubes and toss. Add the chopped basil, tomato cubes, shallot, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and toss gently.
- When you’re ready to serve, gently fold in the cubed avocado to the potato-tomato mixture. Pack salad gently into 2 ramekins and invert over dinner plate. Add extra salt, pepper and/or lemon juice if needed.