Salad with Baby Red Beets and Fried Potatoes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled cooled and smashed flat
Canola Oil, as needed
Coarse sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds mixed salad greens, washed and dried
4 candy cane or baby red beets, cooked, peeled, and quartered
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4 hard boiled eggs, halved
1 can tuna (use good quality), drained

For the Buttermilk Dressing:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk

Method of Preparation:

To make the Buttermilk Dressing:
1. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, parsley, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan; whisk until smooth.
2. While whisking, slowly blend in the buttermilk; blend until well combined.
3. Cover bowl and chill dressing at least 2 hours before using.
To make the Salad:
1. In a large frying pan, heat oil until hot.  Divide the potatoes into 8 portions and fry until golden brown, turning once.  Drain on paper towels, season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
2. Place the greens on 4 individual plates.  Dividing evenly among the plates, place the tuna atop the greens in the center of each.  Place 2 potato cakes on top of the tuna.
3. Arrange the remaining components in rows coming out from the potatoes (like the spokes of a wheel).
4. Drizzle the Buttermilk Dressing over the salad. 

It’s Keep Composed recipe week on Cooking With Class, June 15, 2009. Cooking with Class airs on NBC10, WJAR-TV, Providence, Rhode Island and is hosted by Chef Frank Terranova, an associate instructor at Johnson & Wales University.