This salad is a thing of beauty – veggies and cheese decorate a bed of lettuce on a large platter, served with barbecued beef, chicken or seafood, Guinness and Irish soda bread. Don’t forget the tangy, herb dressing. Some cooks like to drizzle on the salad just before serving. We prefer to let guests add their own, if they choose.
Consider the number of people you will be serving and select suitable quantities. You can use a variety of vegetables and add to the list we’ve provided. Irish cheddar is almost always in a pub salad recipe. We like to add a couple of other choices.
INGREDIENTS
Butter lettuce (living lettuce is a good choice)
Sliced beets or pickled beets
Asparagus spears, plain or pickled (thin of course)
Pickled green or yellow beans
Cucumber slices
Irish cheddar cheese slices or squares
Killeen goat cheese
Cashel blue cheese
Sliced sweet and red onion
Sliced tomato or grape tomatoes halved
Hard boiled eggs, halved
SALAD PREPARATION
(After washing and drying the fresh veggies and boiling the eggs, cover and chill all for at least an hour.) Then slice, dice and prepare ingredients. Tear off pieces of lettuce and line your large plate or platter, covering the edges. Now comes the fun. Arrange all the ingredients on the lettuce for a colorful presentation. Add a touch of ground pepper and sprinkle with a little finely chopped parsley. Admire your work, cover and refrigerate until time to serve.
DRESSING
You can serve with a choice of dressings or make the following tangy, herb recipe.
Whisk together:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/3 teaspoon thyme
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
