Serves 4 – Made without Tuna

Ingredients

  • 500g new potatoes
  • 200g French beans, cut into roughly 3cm lengths
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • Lettuce
  • A handful of small black olives
  • About 12 large basil leaves, torn (or use small ones whole)
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
  • ½ small garlic clove, crushed with a little coarse sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • A pinch of salt

Method

  1. You can cook small new potatoes whole, but cut any larger ones in half or smaller, so they’re all roughly the same size. Cover with cold water, add salt & bring to the boil. Reduce the heat & simmer for 8 – 12 minutes until tender, adding the beans for the last 4 minutes. Drain, tip into a bowl & leave to cool.
  2. To cook the eggs, bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the eggs, return to a simmer, then cook for 7 minutes. Lightly crack the shells & run the eggs under cold water for a minute or two to stop the cooking, then leave to cool. Peel & quarter the eggs.
  3. To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a screw topped jar, seasoning with salt & pepper, & shake until emulsified.
  4. Halve, quarter or thickly slice the cooked potatoes. Put them back with the beans, add some of the dressing & toss gently together.
  5. Separate the lettuce leaves & gently toss in a bowl with a little of the dressing. Arrange the lettuce, potatoes & beans on a serving platter & distribute the olives & eggs over the salad. Scatter torn basil, trickle over the remaining dressing & grind over some pepper. Serve straight away, with bread.