summer on a plate (recipe: rainbow salad)

What to say about this salad? Except that it was DAMN GOOD.

Oh, so incredibly good. Make it today, if you can. If not today, then tomorrow.

I didn't actually plan to make it so colorful. The original idea was a play on salade niçoise, with smoked salmon instead of tuna and anchovy. In the process I realized that I had every color of the rainbow on my plate: red cherry tomatoes, orange salmon and sungold tomatoes, yellow wax beans, green lettuce, olives, dill, and capers, blue potatoes, and purple radicchio.

Of course, you don't have to go out of your way to recreate the color scheme; you should feel free to use other olives, skip the capers, use plain potatoes, whatever you like. It's going to be delicious either way.

Summer Rainbow Salad
1 bunch romaine lettuce, torn
1/2 head of radicchio, torn
1/2 lb. small blue potatoes (or other potatoes)
1/2 lb. yellow wax beans (or other green beans), stemmed
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. capers, drained
6 oz. smoked wild-caught salmon, cubed
handful of your favorite olives
a few sprigs of dill

dressing:
3 T. olive oil
1 T. Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 t. grainy mustard

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork. Set aside the potatoes until cool enough to handle.

Bring a smaller pot of water to a boil and cook the beans for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Fill four plates with a mix of romaine and radicchio. Slice the potatoes in half and arrange them around the edges of the plates. Distribute the beans and tomatoes over the four plates. Sprinkle each plate with a tablespoon of capers. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Top with a handful of smoked salmon and a few olives. Snip the dill over the salads and add a grinding of black pepper. Enjoy!