Tuna Salad Nicoise

Back in October when I was in Ireland we had the chance to sample a lot of great Irish food.  Fish and chips, Irish soda bread, Guinness cake, Irish Stew, Irish Coffee, and potatoes prepared numerous ways, just to name a few.  We figured they must be making up for the Irish famine because there was always a side of potatoes with your meal, whether it was mashed, boiled, sauteed, au gratin, fried, you name it and it was served to us.  Despite the amazing Irish food there were a lot of other great restaurants we wanted to try that did not include any of the above.  In the beginning of our trip while still in Dublin we decided to stop at a quaint little corner French restaurant downtown.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of it but I do remember the amazing food.  After a few days of very delicious but very rich Irish food I was in the mood for something on the lighter side.  I decided to go with a traditional Tuna Salad Nicoise.  I wish I had taken a picture because it was almost too pretty to eat.  Each item neatly placed next to each other on the plate.  The whole sauteed baby potatoes next to the kalamata olives, next to the cherry tomatoes, then the haricots verts, and last but not least the tuna all served over a bed of greens.  They served it with a side of anchovy dressing and a few anchovies on the salad as well.  (I know there are lot of people that don't like anchovies but I'm one of the weird ones that love them!) 

Just the other day I was watching Everyday Food and they were preparing their twist on the Tuna Salad Nicoise.  I immediately thought of the meal I had in Ireland and decided I needed to make it myself.  I kept to the recipe except I decided to add my friend Nina's recipe for Roasted Dijon Brussel Sprouts to the mix and instead of making the lemon vinaigrette I just tossed the arugula in some of my lemon infused extra virgin olive oil.  It turned out great and I am eager to make it again, maybe substituting a few new ingredients next time.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 

Tuna Salad Nicoise

Tuna Salad Nicoise
From Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Serves 4
Prep: 10 minutes Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds small red new potatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 2 bunches arugula (4 to 6 ounces each), ends trimmed, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup Lemon Vinaigrette (I skipped this and just used my lemon infused olive oil)
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• Roasted Dijon Brussel Sprouts (See recipe below)

Directions:

   1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place potatoes on sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes to potatoes on baking sheet; toss. Cook until potatoes are tender and tomatoes are lightly browned and soft, about 10 minutes.
   2. In a medium bowl, toss arugula with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. Arrange roasted vegetables, arugula, tuna, and olives on platter; drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Serve.

Roasted Dijon Brussel Sprouts
From Nina's blog

• 1 lb brussel sprouts, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil (I cut back on the oil a little bit and used my lemon infused olive oil)
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt & Pepper

Wash the sprouts, cut off the ends, and peel off the outer leaves. Cut them in half and place in a small baking disk. Whisk together olive oil and mustard and pour over the sprouts, and zest an entire lemon right over the dish. Season with pepper and very little salt (the mustard adds extra flavor) and toss together to make sure all of the brussel sprouts are coated. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until done to your likeness.