Ok, summer is upon us here in Atlanta and that means it’s the season of ‘Ruby and Nick want salads every day!’ – also the only time of the year I don’t crave a 5lb bowl of veggie bolognese…so expect to see a lot more simple salad recipes pop up in the next few months. One of the biggest challenges with the hot summers here is finding something simultaneously refreshing and substantial enough to constitute a dinner. Luckily we have some mainstays – our first and most regular summer go-to is the greek salad. 
When my mum first came to this country she started off in Florida (it’s a surprise we stayed! I kid, I kid), there was a restaurant called Pappas’ back in the day and it served a famous greek salad. This salad had everything in it – including a hearty potato salad hidden at its core. Now, whenever I go to Florida if on the menu, the hearty greek salad continues to be the best option when I’m out at family dinners/joe’s crab shack/hell. We coveted these tasty salads and so of course took to replicating at home – nowadays we have some kind of bastardization from Nick, Mum and my interpretations – and it’s damn tasty.
Greek Salad
- romaine lettuce head, whole leaves rinsed
- one block of feta, cubed – 4oz (or more if you love feta!)
- one cucumber, thickly sliced
- 4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- potato salad, 2 tbsp
- Greek salad dressing, 1 tbsp
- optional additions: cooked sliced beets, artichoke hearts, sliced green peppers.
Cut veg. To assemble, blob a healthy portion of potato salad in your bowl. Cover in romaine leaves, cucumber, tomato, feta and lastly drizzle with your lovely dressing.
Mum's Potato Salad
- 8-10 new potatoes, quartered
- mayonaise, 3 tbsp
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- s+p
- capers, 1 tbsp (optional)
Boil up some water with a dash of salt. Scrub your potatoes, cut them (depending on the new potatoes you get, half them for smalls and quarter for mediums – you want them to be about half-dollar sized), add to rolling boil.
Potatoes should be tender to a fork prod, generally about 15-20 mins. Be careful not to overcook. Drain and let cool for about 15 mins. Peel off skins (I like to save them and bake them with a bit of parmesan cheese and herbs!). Add peeled potatoes to tupperware and generously salt and pepper. Stir. Add in sliced spring onions. Stir. Add in mayo, one tablespoon at a time being careful not to make mashed potatoes as you mix in! Add capers if you like. After you have mixed in all the ingredients put your lid on and give it a couple of shakes to gently break potatoes up a little. Chill in fridge.
Greek Salad Dressing
- extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
- red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup
- garlic, 1 or 2 cloves, minced
- oregano, dash
- mustard, 1/2 tsp
- s+p
- optional small squidge of honey
Throw all ingredients into a baby tupperware and shake it baby!