Compound Salads

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart saucepan
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Slotted spoon
• •Five small mixing bowls or lidded containers
• •Large oval serving platter, about 16 inches

Instructions

1. 1

   Emulsify the vinaigrette

   Whisk the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper until the salt dissolves. Add the oil in a thin stream while whisking, stopping when the vinaigrette looks lightly creamy but remains fluid enough to coat without smothering. If it splits while it waits, put 1 teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the separated vinaigrette into it a spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape.

   Taste the vinaigrette on a piece of potato, not from the spoon alone. The vegetable softens its acidity and tells you how the finished seasoning will behave.
2. 2

   Cook the potatoes

   Put the whole potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan, cover them with cold water by 1 inch, and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring up gently and simmer until a small knife enters the center with little resistance, 18 to 25 minutes depending on their size. Drain and let them cool only until they can be handled. Peel them if the skins are coarse, then cut one potato into neat ¼-inch roundels for the border and the others into ½-inch dice. While still faintly warm, season the diced potatoes and roundels separately with just enough vinaigrette to give them a fine sheen.

3. 3

   Blanch in sequence

   Refill the saucepan with fresh water, add the remaining tablespoon of salt, and bring it to a lively boil. Cook the carrots until tender but still defined, about 3 minutes, then lift them into ice water with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes and the frozen peas for about 1 minute, returning the water to a boil between batches. Chill each vegetable promptly, then spread it on clean towels and dry it thoroughly. Water left clinging to the vegetables weakens the vinaigrette and leaves the platter weeping.

4. 4

   Season each constituent

   Put the carrots, green beans, and peas in separate bowls. Dress each with a small spoonful of vinaigrette, toss gently, and taste before adding more. Cut three-quarters of the beetroot into ½-inch dice and the remainder into small border pieces, then season both in their own bowl last so their garnet juice touches nothing else. The vegetables should glisten, not swim. If one bowl is overdressed, lift its vegetables out with a slotted spoon and leave the excess behind.

5. 5

   Hold without mixing

   If the salad will not be served immediately, cover and chill every constituent in its own container. Keep the cornichons, radishes, truffle, and border pieces undressed. Bring the cooked vegetables out about 15 minutes before arranging them, because refrigerator-cold potatoes and carrots surrender half their flavor.

6. 6

   Compose the platter

   Spoon the potatoes into a broad, loose heap at the center of a large oval platter. Arrange the green beans, carrots, peas, and diced beetroot around them in distinct low heaps, placing contrasting shades beside one another and keeping the beetroot toward the outer edge. Do not mould or compress them. If a heap slumps, gather it gently with two serving spoons; the small gain in symmetry is never worth mashed vegetables and mingled dressing.

7. 7

   Build the border

   Finish the edge with an unfussy alternating border of beetroot pieces, cornichon halves, potato roundels, and radish quarters. Tuck in the truffle slices if using them, keeping them visible and undressed. Carry the platter directly to the table with the remaining vinaigrette offered separately, so each guest may mingle a serving on the plate while the salad itself remains bright and legible. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose waxy potatoes that hold a clean edge after simmering. Floury potatoes drink dressing beautifully but collapse when arranged, and this salad needs tenderness with enough structure to remain itself.
• •Plain vacuum-packed beetroot is the honest home equivalent to a cold pantry tray of cooked beets. Avoid pickled beetroot here; its sweetness and vinegar dominate every neighboring vegetable.
• •The truffle is one classical border choice, not a commandment. Use a small preserved whole truffle if you want it, or leave it out. Truffle-flavored oil spreads its perfume across the entire platter and defeats the principle of distinct constituents.
• •Use the broadest platter you own. A deep bowl forces the vegetables together, while a wide surface lets each heap keep its color, texture, and seasoning.
• •Serve with a dry, mineral white wine or a light red poured slightly cool. The vinaigrette wants freshness, not heavy oak.

Advance Preparation

• •The potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, and beetroot can be cooked and seasoned one day ahead, provided each is covered and chilled separately. Bring them out about 15 minutes before composing the platter.
• •The vinaigrette keeps for three days in a covered jar in the refrigerator. Let it lose its chill, then whisk it back together before seasoning the vegetables.
• •Cut the radishes on the day of serving. They may be held for a few hours in cold water, then drained and dried thoroughly before the border is arranged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 385g)