How to make a simple green salad

 

A box of baby greens is a fine way to make a salad. But this delicate produce can’t compete with mature head lettuces, whose crisp, flavorful leaves also offer a sturdier base to support add-ins such as cheeses, fruits, and vegetables that add interest and character to a salad. We have also found that seemingly small tweaks—such as how thoroughly you dry your greens, the way you prep add-ins, the order in which you add ingredients to the serving bowl, and the extra effort of emulsifying your dressing—can make the difference between a good salad and a truly memorable one.

The Best Head Lettuces

Familiar head lettuces such as Bibb, romaine, and red or green leaf are salad stalwarts. We use them to provide most of the bulk in the bowl, and their relatively mild flavors make them extremely versatile. Think of them as a functional base layer that you can accessorize with more assertive accent greens, herbs, and other vegetables.

Bibb (Aliases: Butter, Boston)

Profile: Tender, smooth, grassy

Tip: For longer shelf life, leave root intact until ready to use.

Romaine (Alias: Cos)

Profile: Crunchy; mild, slightly bitter spine

Tip: Its cup-shaped leaves and sturdy spine work well with thick, creamy dressings.

Red/Green Leaf

Profile: Earthy; tender edges, crisp spine

Tip: The leaves’ uneven surfaces and ruffled edges are great at capturing mix-ins and flaky salt.

The Best Accent Lettuces

A generous handful of any of these spicy, bitter, crunchy, or frilly greens will make your salad pop.

Radicchio

Profile: Bitter, crunchy

Tip: Discard wilted outer leaves, but don’t bother washing the rest. It is rare for dirt to get into the tightly packed head.

Arugula

Profile: Peppery, tender

Tip: Mature arugula can be very sandy, so wash it in several changes of water.

Frisée

Profile: Bitter, crisp

Tip: Trim away the green parts and use the yellow and white parts.

Watercress

Profile: Juicy, spicy, tender

Tip: Like arugula, watercress bunches harbor grit and must be washed thoroughly.

The Best Way to Store (and Restore) Greens

Store both washed, dried leaves and intact heads of lettuce wrapped in moist paper towels in a partially open plastic produce bag or zipper-lock bag. Never store lettuce in the refrigerator without any protection, as it will rapidly go limp.

Lettuce wilts because it loses water, so the key to reviving it is to put the water back in. A 30-minute soak in ice water will usually restore crispness.

Double-Dry Your Greens

Excess moisture that’s left on lettuces and herbs will dilute your dressing. After washing the greens, dry them as much as possible in a salad spinner (my favorite is the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner, $29.99) and then blot away any remaining water with paper towels.

Salad by the Numbers

SALAD ELEMENT	RATIO
Head Lettuce to Accent Greens	3:1
Oil to Vinegar	3:1
Dressing to Greens	¼ cup:10 cups

How to Dress a Salad

Using high-quality oil and vinegar (or lemon juice) beats a bottled dressing any day. But the way you add these components to your salad affects how quickly it wilts. Here are two methods to ensure that your greens stay crisp.

Quick Route: Lazy Person’s Vinaigrette

Drizzling oil and vinegar over your greens is fast and perfectly fine—as long as you add them in the right order. I found that tossing the salad first with the vinegar and again after adding the oil prevented the leaves from wilting too quickly. Why? Lettuce leaves have a protective waxy cuticle layer that helps keep out water-based liquids (such as vinegar), but oil easily penetrates this film. Vinegar helps block the oil so it doesn’t penetrate the cuticle and wilt your lettuce.

Nobody likes carrot chunks or wads of goat cheese that sink to the bottom of the bowl. Follow these guidelines to prepare your add-ins so that they distribute evenly in the salad.

1. Leave Some Add-Ins for the Top

Reserve half of heavier nuts and cheeses to sprinkle over the dressed salad.

2. Season the Salad, Too 

The measured amount of salt in a dressing may not be enough, so we like to season the salad to taste with kosher or flake sea salt just after dressing it. This also creates appealing pops of salty crunch.

3. Dress and Season the Salad Right

Add the dressing in increments. Toss the salad, tasting as you go, to ensure that the greens aren’t over- or underdressed.

4. Handle Supplementary Ingredients Correctly

• Vegetables: Shave or thinly slice them (a peeler or mandoline is helpful here) so they mix evenly with the greens.
• Fruits: Thinly slice and drain wet varieties (such as citrus) so that they don’t dilute the dressing.
• Cheese: Crumble soft varieties into ¼- to ½-inch pieces; shave small slivers of hard cheeses.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup
  Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons
  Honey
• 1 tablespoon
  Dijon Mustard
• 2
  Garlic Cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
• 1 ½ teaspoons
  Kosher Salt
• ¼ teaspoon
  Black Pepper
• ¾ cup
  olive oil

1. Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the oil into the bowl (or food processor, if using) in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, until smooth.