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– 2 cups of cubed ham (ask the deli for half inch thick slices to then cube at home) – ½ pound of Comté or Gruyere Cheese, cut into small cubes – ¾ cup of Cornichons or mini Gherkins, sliced – 5 Yukon Gold potatoes – 4 cups of mixed greens – 1 cup of blanched peas – 6 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise du Chef (recipe below or you can use regular mayonnaise if you prefer) – 2 teaspoons vinegar (shallot vinegar - red wine vinegar also works great here) – 2 tbsp olive oil – 1 tsp Fleur de Sel – ¼ cup of fresh dill, chopped – 1 shallot finely chopped
– 4 egg yolks (use very fresh, organic eggs*) – 1 cup of olive oil – ½ cup of vegetable oil – 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar or shallot vinegar – ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard – ¼ teaspoon of Espelette pepper – ¼ teaspoon of Fleur de Sel – zest of one lemon
First, put your potatoes to boil. Place the potatoes in enough cold water to cover (always start your potatoes in cold water!) and bring to a boil. Let boil for 25-30 minutes until you can easily pierce them with a fork.
Drain, then allow to chill slightly before peeling and cutting into cubes. Set aside or put in the refrigerator to chill depending on how much time you have before serving the salad.
Begin to make your mayonnaise. In a medium mixing bowl (ideally stainless steel) add the egg yolks, the vinegar, the salt and the mustard. Beat together with a whisk. Now it is time to add the oils. You want to be care to add the oil little by little , all the while whisking.
Once the potatoes have cooled at least to room temperature or chilled (they should not be hot - you do not want to make scrambled eggs out of your mayonnaise!) mix them in with the salad ingredients in the large mixing bowl.