Chef Salad and Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Chef's Salad Recipe Ingredients

Serves 4.

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, finely minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 heads of butter lettuce, pale inner leaves only, washed and dried

1/3 pound honey baked ham, cut into julienne

1/3 pound smoked chicken or roast turkey, cut into julienne

8 ounces Monterey jack or Swiss cheese, cut into julienne

3 hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters

8 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

Chef's Salad Recipe Steps

1. Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, shallot, and salt and pepper until well blended. While continuously whisking the dressing, drizzle in the oil, and continue whisking for another 10 to 20 seconds until emulsified. Set aside.

2. In a large salad serving bowl, arrange the leaves of butter lettuce, leaving them whole if small and tearing the larger leaves into bite sized pieces. Arrange the ham, smoked chicken and cheese on top of the lettuce, keeping each ingredient separate from the others rather than jumbling them all together. The julienne strips should radiate outward from the center of the salad like the spokes of a wheel. Place the wedges of cherry tomato and hardboiled egg in between the three main ingredients.

3. The salad should be served with the dressing on the side, then dressed and tossed at the table.

Thousand Island Dressing Recipe

Yield: about 1 cup.

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup chili sauce

2 tablespoons pickle relish

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover and chill until needed.