Chef’s Salad

Ingredients

• About 10 cups bite-sized pieces Bibb lettuce
• Hide ingredients for Vinaigrette, Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing, or Thousand Island Dressing 1 Vinaigrette, Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing, or Thousand Island Dressing (opens in new tab) Vinaigrette, Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing, or Thousand Island Dressing
  • ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, or lemon juice
  • (1 teaspoon minced shallot)
  • (1 small garlic clove, minced, grated on a rasp grater, or mashed to a paste)
  • (½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard, to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • ¾ cup olive oil

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Combine in a medium bowl: ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, or lemon juice; (1 teaspoon minced shallot); (1 small garlic clove, minced, grated on a rasp grater, or mashed to a paste); (½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard, to taste); ½ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  2. Whisk until blended. Add gradually, whisking constantly after each addition: ¾ cup olive oil
  3. If made in advance, cover and refrigerate. Shake well before using.
• 1 cup thinly sliced cooked chicken or turkey breast
• 4 ounces ham, cut into thin strips, or thin slices of prosciutto, rolled into cigar shapes
• 5 ounces sharp Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, or other firm cheese, cut into thin strips
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges, or 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes (8 ounces), halved
• Hide ingredients for 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, quartered 1 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, quartered (opens in new tab) 3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, quartered
  • Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator
  • Cold water
  • Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Place in a pot in a single layer: Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator
  2. Cover them by 1 inch with: Cold water
  3. Bring to a boil over high heat. Promptly remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the eggs stand: 8 to 12 minutes for large eggs, or 11 to 15 minutes for extra-large and jumbo eggs (6 to 10 minutes for small and medium eggs). For room temperature eggs, subtract 1 minute from these cooking times. The lower amount of time will yield eggs that have set whites and barely set yolks, while the higher amount of time will yield eggs that are hard-cooked all the way through. When the eggs are done, run cold water over them to stop the cooking.
  4. To peel hard-boiled eggs, crack the shell all over and roll the egg gently between the palms of your hands to free the thin tough skin from the egg and make shelling easier. Find the air cell and start peeling from there, peeling away the inner membrane along with the shell. Rinse the eggs after shelling to remove any shell fragments.
  5. To slice eggs smoothly, dip a knife blade into water before slicing. Hard-boiled eggs are best stored in their shells in the refrigerator. A peeled hard-boiled egg should be used within a few days.
  6. STEAM METHOD
  7. Have ready: Unshelled eggs, from the refrigerator
  8. If using a steamer insert, gently place the eggs inside, bring 1½ inches of water to a rapid boil in a pot, and fit the insert onto the pot. If using a steamer basket, place it inside the pot, bring the water to a boil, and gently place the eggs in the basket with long-handled tongs. Cover immediately and steam the eggs on high heat for 8 minutes for large eggs with a set white and fudgy yolk, or 11 minutes for eggs that are firm all the way through. For room temperature eggs, subtract 1 minute from these cooking times. As the eggs cook, fill a bowl with ice water. Immediately transfer the eggs to the ice water and cool completely. Peel as directed in I.
• 12 olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 cup chopped arugula or watercress
• Salt and black pepper to taste