Chef's Salad

Name: Chef's Salad
Yield: Serves 6 to 8 as a light main dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large clove, garlic, minced to paste or pressed through garlic press (about 1 ¼ teaspoons); 1/8 teaspoon, table salt; 1 1/2 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil; 6 slices, white sandwich bread (6 ounces), cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups); 6 tablespoons, extra-virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons, red wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons, minced shallot; 1 teaspoon, minced garlic; 1 teaspoon, minced fresh thyme leaves; 1/4 teaspoon, table salt; 1/8 teaspoon, ground black pepper; 1 , medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick; 2 medium heads, leaf lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces (about 3 quarts); 8 ounces, arugula, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces (about 1 quart); 6 ounces, radishes, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin; 1 pint, cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large; 3 , large hard-cooked eggs, each cut into 4 wedges; 8 ounces, deli ham, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks; 8 ounces, deli turkey, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks; 8 ounces, sharp cheddar cheese, sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks

2 comments

Appears in Cook's Illustrated May/June 2004

Fast-food joints have given this retro supper salad a bad name (and a plastic fork). Could we produce a substantial salad with supermarket staples?

SERVES6 to 8 as a light main dish

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

To produce a substantial chef salad recipe using supermarket ingredients, we chose sturdy but mild greens, like Bibb, romaine, and red- and green-leaf lettuces, which held their shape under the weight of the other ingredients and stood up t...

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