This simple salad with creamy dill dressing is so very good. It’s light and bursting with fresh flavors, making it a perfect accompaniment to winter meals.
After making this salad for Thanksgiving, we had it several times the following week. I couldn’t get enough of this simple combination of lettuces, with the creamy dill dressing. I also served the dressing with roasted salmon for a Christmas holiday party.
The dressing is great on a more complex salad. I recently used it to dress a salad of red and bib lettuce, fennel and pomegranate arils. It was delicious!
The recipe makes about four servings.
Tips
- This recipe makes more than enough dressing for the salad, so plan to have plenty of leftover dressing.
- I used a higher ratio of canola oil to olive oil, for a lighter dressing. If you prefer, you can use equal amounts.
Ingredients
You need the following ingredients for the dressing:
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup dill (large stems removed)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup of canola oil (or another neutral oil, such as grapeseed or safflower)
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste (I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
For the lettuce, use fresh heads of sturdy lettuce that can hold the creamy dressing, such as oak leaf or bib lettuce. Wash the leaves, spin them dry and tear them.
You need about 6 cups of lettuce leaves (more if you love salad as much as I do).
Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently add the egg to the boiling water. Boil the egg for 7 minutes and 15 seconds. The egg white will be set and the yolk with be barely set. Immediately rinse the egg in cold water and peel it.
In a food processor (or blender), add the egg, dill, mustard and vinegar, and blend until smooth.
Using the small top opening of the food processor or blender, with the processor (blender) running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream. The mixture will emulsify. Add salt and pepper and process again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
When it is time to serve the salad, add some of the dressing and toss the salad. Taste a leaf and add more dressing if you like.
Other Ideas for Creamy Dill Dressing
You’re going to want to use this dressing for more than just salad. You might like these ideas:
- Garnish grilled or poached salmon with it.
- Use it to top lightly cooked vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli or green beans.
- In the summer, toss it with chilled potatoes, with chopped scallions or chives.
Related Posts
Here are some other salads that I love: