Ingredients
- 1 egg, soft boiled for 7 minutes and shocked in ice water
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup anchovies, drained
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce, preferably Tabasco brand
- 1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 serrano chile, stemmed and seeded
- 2 medium russet potato (medium size, skin-on)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 white endive, whole leaves removed, cleaned
- 3 red endive, whole leaves removed, cleaned
- 2/3 cup Caesar Dressing (recipe above)
- 1/4 cup radicchio, seared in hot pan and sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons
- 1/4 cup chopped fine herbs (such as chives, parsley and tarragon)
- 1 cup Potato "Croutons" (recipe above)
- freshly ground black pepper, for serving
- 6 ounces Grana Padano, freshly grated, for serving
- lemon zest, for serving
Chef notes
The crunch and water content of endive along with some lightly charred radicchio give this Caesar salad some smoky and sweet elements to balance out the bitter. The simple yet intense dressing — which uses soft-boiled eggs — and the potato croutons give this classic salad a flavorful update.
Preparation
For the Caesar Dressing:
Place everything except the oil in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the blender on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified.
For the Potato "Croutons":
1.Preheat oven to 400 F.
2.Poke potatoes with a cake tester. Microwave for 10 minutes. Let sit in microwave to steam for 10 minutes. Then continue to cook in microwave at 2-minute intervals until potatoes are tender. Let cool for 15 minutes.
3.Once potatoes are cool enough to handle but still warm, peel off all the skin and any undesirable dark spots. With your fingers, break them up into small nuggets (no larger than 1/2 inch). Let cool completely and dry out on a rack, preferably overnight.
4.Toss potato nuggets in olive oil, rosemary and salt. Roast in the oven at for 6 minutes, until golden-brown and crispy. Let cool until ready to plate the salad.
For the salad:
1.Place endive leaves in a circular pattern, similar to the shape of a sunflower. Drizzle dressing evenly over all the leaves, making sure each leaf is dressed properly.
2.Mix radicchio, herbs and croutons in a bowl and spread evenly over the top, making sure the mix gets into all the cups of the leaves.
3.Grind fresh black pepper evenly over the whole salad then grate Grana Padano over the entire salad. Finish with lemon zest.
