Julia Child's Salade Niçoise

I've always thought of salad niçoise as just a random mixture of vegetables and fish, more specifically potatoes, lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, olives, capers, hard-boiled eggs and tuna. But I recently came across an episode of The French Chef with Julia Child in which she presents it as a composed salad, based around French potato salad. It is much more attractive, and the flavour of the potatoes is much better.

Apparently the potatoes are not cannonical--she had eaten versions without them. I think they are essential, turning the salad into a complete meal. I prefer to keep the skins on the potatoes.

For the fish, I sometimes use steamed or smoked makeral, but usually it is made with tuna.  The tuna should be packed in oil, not water. Tuna in water has a metallic taste that does not work in this salad at all.

And I always use kalamata olives rather than the small niçoise olives because I really like the flavour. Besides, niçoise olives are harder to find.

For the salad greens, I like romaine lettuce, but spinach leaves are also good.

Salade Niçoise

Adapted from Julia Child
(The Art of French Cooking, Volume 1)

Makes 2 generous servings as a meal, or 4 as a side salad.

You can prepare the vinaigrette, potato salad, and green beans ahead of time, then just arrange the salad before serving.

Vinaigrette:

1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs, or 1 teaspoon dried herbs

Potato salad:

300 -350 grams waxy potatoes, such as rosevale
1 small shallot, minced, or 2 spring onions, sliced
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon bouillon, or water
2 tablespoons vinaigrette
salt and pepper to taste

Rest of the salad:
150 grams green beans
1 little gem romaine lettuce, washed and dried
1 medium tomato, cut into 12 pieces, or 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 anchovies
1 tin tuna in oil
2 eggs, hard-boiled
1/4 cup kalamata or niçoise olives
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs (such as dill and/or parsley)

1. Make the vinaigrette by adding all the ingredients to a jar and then shaking vigorously.
2. Boil or steam the potatoes and green beans until tender. When done, put the potatoes in a bowl, and plunge the beans into cold water before setting aside to drain. 
3. While still warm, cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces, then add the white wine or vermouth and bouillon or water, and season with salt and pepper.
4. After 5 minutes or so, add a few tablespoons of vinaigrette, and toss the potatoes with the minced shallot or spring onions.

To serve, arrange the salad on a plate in a pleasing pattern. For example, start by placing the salad leaves in a circle on the plate, put the potato salad in the middle, then arrange the green beans, tomatoes, anchovies, tuna, and quartered eggs around it. Sprinkle with olives, capers, and fresh herbs. Spoon the vinaigrette over the salad and season with salt and pepper.