BUTTER LEAF SALAD, SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE, AND MALDON

Butter Leaf Salad, Shallot Vinaigrette, and Maldon image

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 9

Shallot Vinaigrette
1 small shallot bulb, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 two-finger pinch Maldon flake salt
3 grinds black pepper
2 small heads butter leaf, broken into leaves, washed, and dried
Maldon flake salt for the table

Steps:

To make the vinaigrette, combine the sliced shallot and vinegar in a small cup. Set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to several hours. The longer the shallots soak in the vinegar, the more their natural sugars will dissolve in the liquid and the sweeter the vinaigrette will be.
When you are ready to dress the salad, mix the mustard into the vinegar and add the oil a little at a time, whisking until the vinaigrette is smooth and lightly thickened. Season with the salt and pepper.
As soon as the dressing is ready, put the lettuce leaves in a salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat with wooden salad utensils or your hands. You are less likely to bruise the lettuce if you toss it with your hands.
Serve on individual salad plates and season each salad with an additional pinch of salt, or allow each person to salt their own.
Variations
If you have a shallow dish or plate of Himalayan pink salt (see page 163), add diced green apple, walnuts, and Roquefort to this salad and serve it on the salt plate to bring out an unexpected nutty sweetness. Substitute 1/2-inch chunks of cucumber, tomato, and avocado for the lettuce, and presto, you are eating a luscious summer salad of another stripe. Substitute Bibb or red leaf lettuce if you like.