Just as Irish summers aren’t all blue skies and sunshine, our summer dining can’t be all green leaves and cucumber. Irish summer salads cry out for sustenance and for this recipe the humble potato obliges. In my book, this is the perfect rainy-day summer salad. Although it can equally be enjoyed on a sunny day too. And just as I top many a winter dish with a fried egg, many a summer salad is topped with semi-hard boiled eggs in this house.
While this is a twist on an Irish summer favourite, it’s more than a potato salad. The lentils and eggs provide protein making this salad perfect for a light lunch in itself. It’s also great to add to a salad buffet when entertaining. Just serve in a large bowl and let your guests help themselves. Make extra dressing and leave on the side. Extra dressing is always a good idea. I’ve includes a recipe for a basic honey and mustard dressing here, but if you are tight on time just use a pre-made one from the supermarket. I recommend choosing one with minimal ingredients for maximum taste. If you are making this salad in advance, just keep the dressing separate and add last minute. Also, if you don’t have time to cook the lentils, tinned precooked lentils work well. Drain and rinse them first.
Keep scrolling for my Potato, Egg & Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing.
Potato, Egg & Lentil Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
2 large handfuls of salad leaves
10 baby potatoes
1/3 cup puy lentils
2 eggs
Small bunch of chives
For the dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
Sea salt
Black pepper
Method
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain and cut in half.
Cook the lentils in a pot of boiling water. The ratio is one-part lentils to two parts water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 15 minutes until the lentils are tender. Keep an eye on them in case the water boils off them before they are cooked. If needs be, add more water. Tinned pre-cooked lentils can also be used. Just make sure to drain and rinse them beforehand.
Cook the eggs by placing them in boiling water and cooking for seven minutes. Allow to cool for five minutes and then remove the shells. Cut the eggs into quarters and leave to one side.
To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a jar and stir to combine. Make sure to season the dressing well with sea salt and freshy ground pepper.
Assemble the salad by placing the leaves at the base of your serving dish. Add the baby potatoes, placing them around the dish. Add the lentils, also evenly distributing them around the dish. Pour a few spoons of dressing over the dish.
Top the salad with the eggs and some finely chopped chives and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.
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