An oldie but goodie! My Dad loved this salad and turned me onto it a long ago. I think in those days it was dressed with Thousand Island dressing. It’s the perfect way to use up some of that leftover Christmas turkey and ham if you have some! The salad goes over a treat anytime of the year though!
Makes 8 Servings
1 large head romaine lettuce, or a combination of romaine, leaf & butter lettuce, (if you can find Little Gem lettuce, substitute it for the romaine & butter lettuce)
1 small head radicchio
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
½ cup chopped green onions
12 oz. each cooked boneless chicken & cooked smoked ham, cut into julienne strips
8 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated on large holes of box grater or processor
4 hardboiled eggs, each cut into 4 wedges lengthwise or chopped coarsely
8 – 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced or an equal amount of the small cucumbers now available
1 red bell pepper (or a combination of red & orange), cut into thin slices or strips
1 large carrot, grated
Tarragon dressing (recipe below)
Tear lettuces into bite size pieces & place in a large bowl with the watercress & green onions. Place mixed lettuces onto 8 individual dinner plates. Arrange the chicken and ham strips on top of the greens; top with the grated Gruyere. Arrange the egg wedges or chopped egg around the salad; garnish with the cherry tomato halves, English cucumber slices and bell pepper slices or strips. Serve with the tarragon dressing.
Tarragon Dressing:
1/2 cup canola or other flavourless oil
1/4 cup EVO
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. dried tarragon or 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor & process 1 minute until thickened.
