40 Min

GF

Novel Caesar Salad

A good classic Caesar salad is a thing of beauty – after the first year of moving to North America in the early eighties, I salivated through countless iterations at restaurants until home experiments took over. Turning a raw egg into a salad dressing seemed daunting until I learnt the fine art of cooking a yolk just right. Over time, I have used raw eggs in salads but only when I am buying them from a local farmer. If using store-bought eggs, I always par cook the yolk.

While I have never served one professionally, Caesar salad was one of my children’s favorite dinners, usually topped with grilled chicken doused in dressing. Here is a novel version that is not one for the purists. I switch out the croutons for crispy herbed potatoes, which are just as much if not tastier. The dressing recipe makes more than what you would need for one salad so save it for your next one. I also switched out the anchovies for fish sauce and topped the salad off with fresh pomegranates. Pomegranates are about to come into season, but you can buy the seeds at grocery stores. This version is currently my family’s favorite. Do give it a try!

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Cook Time

40 Minutes + Rest Time

Serves

6

Directions

Step 1

Boil the potatoes in a stockpot with 2 inches of water above the potatoes. When the potatoes are almost ready (knife inserted comes out with just a little resistance), turn the heat off and let the potatoes rest in the hot water for another hour or two. Drain and chill the potatoes.

Step 2

Next day, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the potatoes into small 1/2-inch cubes and in a medium bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a greased baking pan and place in the oven. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes have a golden-brown color. Remove and toss with the herbs and set aside.

Step 3

To make the dressing, combine the 2 small egg yolks with mustard, garlic, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and salt and pepper and whisk together until smooth. This can also be made using a hand mixer. Pour the oil in slowly and keep whisking until the oil is entirely incorporated into the dressing, which should now be a smooth creamy color. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.

Step 4

To compose the salad, tear the romaine leaves into large chunks. Combine with the potatoes and roughly 3/4 cup of the dressing. Toss gently and taste. You may need to add a pinch of salt to the salad.

Step 5

Finally, fold the cheese in reserving some to sprinkle on top before serving. Top with pomegranate seeds before serving.

Notes & Variations

You could use sweet potatoes instead of the regular potatoes. In either case, boiling potatoes a day or two in advance is best for roasting them.
To slightly cook the egg yolks, bring some water to boil in a small stockpot. Add the eggs and boil for exactly one minute. Turn the heat off and remove the eggs. Crack the eggs open and scoop out the yolks. They should still be soft but slightly cooked. Unless you can find a good use for them, you will, unfortunately need to discard the whites.
To prepare the salad ahead of time, place the dressing on the bottom of a large salad bowl, the greens directly on top and the potatoes and grated cheese on top of that. This will keep for a few hours in the refrigerator. Toss together and top with the pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

10-12 small red or 4 medium yellow Yukon gold potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

1 Tablespoon dried chives

Dressing:

2 raw or slightly cooked small egg yolks

1 Tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 Tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large bunch of romaine

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Finally, fold the cheese in reserving some to sprinkle on top before serving. Top with pomegranate seeds before serving.

10-12 small red or 4 medium yellow Yukon gold potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons dried parsley

1 Tablespoon dried chives

Dressing:

2 raw or slightly cooked small egg yolks

1 Tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 Tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large bunch of romaine

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

Notes & Variations

You could use sweet potatoes instead of the regular potatoes. In either case, boiling potatoes a day or two in advance is best for roasting them.
To slightly cook the egg yolks, bring some water to boil in a small stockpot. Add the eggs and boil for exactly one minute. Turn the heat off and remove the eggs. Crack the eggs open and scoop out the yolks. They should still be soft but slightly cooked. Unless you can find a good use for them, you will, unfortunately need to discard the whites.
To prepare the salad ahead of time, place the dressing on the bottom of a large salad bowl, the greens directly on top and the potatoes and grated cheese on top of that. This will keep for a few hours in the refrigerator. Toss together and top with the pomegranate seeds.

Tags:

40 Min

Tags:

40 Min

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