Summer Garden Niçoise Salad by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: John’s garden is bursting with produce right now. Please admire the sunflowers, some of which he planted and others who seeded themselves from last year. We have also been happily flooded with shishito peppers and green beans, and the tomatoes are beginning to rush in as well. I know many of us are being careful about lettuce and peppers—I happily eat from both our garden and the farmer’s market. (Washed of course!)

Today’s dish is what Sam Sifton would call a no-recipe recipe, with guidelines that are merely suggestions. Feel free to replace the vegetables you don’t have or don’t prefer. You can also replace the tuna with shredded chicken or sliced steak. All of the vegetables I used were either from our local farmers market or directly from John's Garden.

Ingredients for the salad

One can tuna, drained

4 to 6 small red potatoes

One large tomato

One cucumber

A large handful of green beans

2 to 3 beets

Shishito peppers

Two eggs

6 ounces or so feta cheese

Vinaigrette

Heat the oven to 425, douse the beans, peppers, and potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the green beans, Shishito peppers, and potatoes until soft and beginning to brown. You will probably need to take the beans and peppers out before your potatoes will be finished.

Set these aside and let them cool. Cut the tomato into bite-size chunks, ditto with the cucumber and the feta cheese. Slice the beets. Boil the eggs until just cooked, about nine minutes. Cool these as well.

Now comes the artistic part: start with a plate of salad greens. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and green beans around the outside of the lettuce. In the center of each plate, arrange a mound of tuna fish. Slide the sliced beets and the halved eggs into an opening.

Mix up a simple vinaigrette, using mustard, balsamic, or red wine, and good olive oil. Add a sprinkle of sugar and another of salt and mix well. Drizzle over top of each salad. You could add olives too, and red onions if you like them. Serve!

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USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.