tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709768863537246500.post-26221309086515969272008-05-12T15:24:00.010-05:002008-05-28T13:11:39.404-05:00<p align="justify"><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_15YEarDQhts/SCjqwmVC1RI/AAAAAAAAALk/Jc46UB1HNiI/s1600-h/CIMG0749.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199663890442671378" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_15YEarDQhts/SCjqwmVC1RI/AAAAAAAAALk/Jc46UB1HNiI/s200/CIMG0749.JPG" border="0" /></a>I love a cozy Sunday supper, even when the weather is (supposedly) turning warmer. I really love a hearty salad, even when the weather is (supposedly) staying cooler. Salads are a wonderful way to use leftovers that cannot quite stretch for a full-blown meal. Just yesterday evening I whipped up a colorful plate of greens to eat with a pizza dressed with pesky leftover butternut squash that had been sitting in my freezer for almost 2 months.<br /><br />Peppery baby arugula teamed with a diced Pink Lady apple (one-quarter hungrily devoured by yours truly), two tablespoons of toasted walnuts, and half of a leftover pork chop, sliced. Sweet and tangy maple dressing brought out the grassy undertones of the arugula, and is there any kind of pork that does not work well with a good douse of both apple and maple flavors? Thick slices of butternut squash, caramelized onions, and goat brie pizza flecked with fresh thyme accompanied the light salad, and I can now relax knowing I’ve successfully cleaned from my fridge and freezer lingering leftovers.<br /><br />However, at times I purposefully make more than enough meat, vegetable, etc. at one meal just so I can whip up a “leftover” salad later in the week. In this respect, chicken is a salad chameleon. Not only is it standard for walnuts/pecan, raisins/grapes/apples/, green onion/red onion, curry/traditional, mayonnaise-based chicken salad. Chicken also stars in club salads, Cobb salads, and, in its processed counterpart, chef salads.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_15YEarDQhts/SCjqwGVC1QI/AAAAAAAAALc/1j0xLblJO4Y/s1600-h/CIMG0764.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199663881852736770" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_15YEarDQhts/SCjqwGVC1QI/AAAAAAAAALc/1j0xLblJO4Y/s200/CIMG0764.JPG" border="0" /></a>Starting with a base of baked chicken, boiled potatoes still in their skins, and romaine lettuce, I let my refrigerator’s contents strut their stuff in this part chef, part chopped, all tasty salad. Here are the ingredients that made the final cut:</p><div align="justify">3 boiled red-skinned potatoes, whole, in their skins<br />1 six to eight ounce cooked chicken breast or thigh, chopped<br />2 hard boiled eggs, sliced<br />5 radishes, finely chopped<br />2 stalks celery, chopped (good for optional crunch, however, I’m not allowed to use celery in Shane’s salad)<br />2 small shallots, thinly sliced<br />¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola<br />¼ cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano<br />1 ½ bunches romaine lettuce, finely chopped<br /><br />Dressing (from <em>Gourmet</em> February 2008):<br /><br />3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil</div><div align="justify">1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice</div><div align="justify">1 teaspoon mild honey (*I used 2 teaspoons)</div><div align="justify">1 teaspoon Dijon mustard<br /><br />Preheat oven to 425 degrees.<br /><br />Cut potatoes into 1 ½ inch cubes and roast in 425 degree oven until browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.<br /><br />Mix dressing ingredients, and add salt and pepper to taste. Once potatoes have cooled a bit, mix the remainder of the salad ingredients together and dress with 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey mustard dressing. Serve immediately.</div>Emilie Tyteniczhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07832243677709941668noreply@blogger.com