“Can you make me that salad?” My fiancé Kevin will ask me. “Which one?” I’ll ask. “THAT one with the eggs and stuff,” he’ll say. “Ohhhhh THAT salad. Of course.” That salad is one of my absolute favorites. That salad is one I learned from my mother and she learned from her mother. It is a salad I grew up on and loved, even as a child. There aren’t many greens that kids will actually ask for, but for me, that salad was one.
It’s interesting how recipes can change generationally but still keep their essence as they are handed down. The version of the salad I learned from my mom had no avocado, dill, or oregano as I make it today. The version my grandmother made had no dried basil but usually included crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. My mom would always serve the salad in her big wooden salad bowl and I would have the job of slicing the green onions. I remember her instructing me as a kid, “slice them very thin all the way from the top of the green part to the little white bulb on the end.” I would always show my work after I was done asking “Are these good?” Yes, they were.
The ingredients to THAT salad are simple but delicious. So what goes into the version of the salad I make today? A simple homemade vinaigrette dressing, soft butter lettuce, hard boiled egg, green onion, fresh dill, and avocado. The hardboiled egg yolk and the avocado add an essential fatty element to the dressing which by itself may taste too acidic. The chopped dill makes the salad taste fresh. The green onion adds bite to balance the fat from the egg and avocado. The dried oregano and basil in the dressing complete it.
The way the eggs are sliced is also important, they can’t be halved or quartered. They need to be sliced into thin strips or put through a wire hard boiled egg slicer. This type of slicing will ensure that the yolk and egg whites are throughly mixed into the salad. It also ensures you get a little egg in every bite.
Despite its simple ingredients this salad is filling enough to be an entire meal. I frequently make it for dinner and eat it straight from the mixing bowl because I’m too excited to take the time to plate it. It’s always eggcelent. It always takes me back. It always reminds me why I love cooking and how amazing it is that even the simplest of recipes can find their way through time.
Let’s get started.
Step 1: An eggcelent start. Hard boil your eggs. If you are making this salad for 1 person use 2 eggs. If you’re making it for 2, use 3-4 eggs. My favorite method for easy peel hard boiled eggs is to bring water to boil, then submerge your eggs into the water. Once the eggs are in the water lower the heat so that the water is at a gentle simmer. Cook for 13 minutes. Remove eggs to an ice bath for 3-5 minutes. Then peel. Slice your eggs into 8-10 thin pieces or use a wire egg slicer.
Step 2: Get Dressed. Let’s make the dressing. Combine champagne vinegar, dijon, whole 30 mayo (or normal mayo), dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper into a mason jar with a lid. Shake the jar until the ingredients are combined or combine using your mini electric whisk or immersion blender. I use both my mini whisk and immersion blender all the time. If you don’t have one yet, get one!!
Step 3: Bowling. Combine butter lettuce, green onion, dill, hard boiled egg, avocado, and salad dressing in a large mixing bowl. To make this salad even easier I use Trader Joe’s Organic Butter Lettuce and Radicchio mix. Mix your salad thoroughly. You want the egg yolk and avocado to coat the leaves of the salad. This is not a salad you serve with the ingredients on top with dressing poured over it. IT MUST BE THOROUGHLY MIXED.
Do you be-leaf in magic {that simple salad we’ve been making for generations}
Ingredients
For the salad dressing:
- 1/4 cup white champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon whole 30 mayo or normal mayo
- Dash of dried oregano
- Dash of dried basil
- Dash of black pepper
- Dash of salt
For the salad:
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced from top to bottom
- Handful of fresh dill chopped
- 1 small avocado diced medium
- 7 oz Butter lettuce (I use one bag of Trader Joe's Organic Butter Lettuce and Radicchio)
Instructions
- Hard boil your eggs. If you are making this salad for 1 person use 2 eggs. If you're making it for 2, use 3-4 eggs. Once hard boiled, slice your eggs into 8-10 thin pieces or use a wire egg slicer.
- Combine vinegar, dijon, whole 30 mayo (or normal mayo), dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper into a mason jar with a lid. Shake the jar until the ingredients are combined or combine using your mini electric whisk or immersion blender.
- Combine butter lettuce, green onion, dill, hard boiled egg, avocado, and salad dressing in a large mixing bowl. Mix your salad thoroughly. You want the egg yolk and avocado to coat the leaves of the salad. This is not a salad you serve with the ingredients on top with dressing poured over it. IT MUST BE THOROUGHLY MIXED.
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