A Beautiful Green Salad With My Favourite Salad Dressing

The secret of a really sensational simple green salad is always in the dressing. The greens you use can vary widely according to the time of year and they will add their own personality to the salad – peppery, bitter, buttery, nutty, crunchy, tender, and crisp – but it’s the dressing, and having nice, dry salad leaves, that are key. Choose a mixture of salad leaves for both flavour and texture, such as rocket, watercress, witlof, iceberg, cos, mignonette, radicchio, friseé, nasturtiums and purslane. For the nuts in this salad pictured, I’ve used my friend Palisa’s lovely red and white peanuts, but pecans or macadamias are also delicious. This particular dressing is my favourite and makes considerably more than you need for this salad, but it keeps well in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

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Instructions

1.	For the dressing, scrape the chopped eschalot into a fine strainer and rinse quickly under cold water. Set it aside to drain.
2.	Press down on it firmly to remove any excess water then scoop it into a medium-size bowl and cover it with the vinegar and 3–4 teaspoons of warm water.
3.	Leave it to sit for a couple of minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.
4.	Whisk everything together until thoroughly combined and both the honey and salt have dissolved.
5.	Taste the dressing and adjust the flavours to suit you.
6.	Pour the dressing into a jar, seal it tightly and store it in the fridge.
7.	Return to cool room temperature before using.
8.	Remove any damaged or wilted leaves from the greens you’re using, then gently wash them in cool water to remove any grit (it’s the worst thing to bite into when you’re eating a salad, it literally puts your teeth on edge).
9.	Dry the greens in batches in a salad spinner, then gently wrap in dry tea towels and chill until ready to use.
10.	Alternatively, put them into a large stainless-steel bowl, cover tightly and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready for them – they crisp up beautifully.
11.	To serve the salad, add the avocado, if using, to the bowl of greens.
12.	With your hands (don a pair of prep gloves, if you like), gently mix the greens in the bowl with some of the dressing until they’re glistening and well-coated but not drowned, then pile them into a salad bowl.
13.	Sprinkle the nuts over the top to serve.