Salad Niçoise

Add the juice of 2 of the lemons, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp of dried thyme a pinch each of salt & pepper to a small jar

Add the 1/2 cup olive oil and shake like crazy until the dressing is emulsified and completely combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Set aside

Hard boil the 4 eggs - I do it like this: Poke a hole with a pin in the bottom of the raw eggs, place them in a pan, add a Tbsp of baking soda and cover the eggs with cold water, bring them to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and place in a bowl of really cold water (or ice water) for 5 minutes. Remove and peel

Place a large pot of water on the stove and turn the heat on high to bring to a boil

While the water is heating, wash and trim the "haricots verts" - fancy french term for tiny green beans or regular green beans (I find the haricots verts at Trader Joe's)

Cut the tiny red potatoes in half - or cut the larger potatoes into bite size pieces - are you feeling a "tiny" vibe in this recipe?

Once the water has boiled, add a large pinch of salt, place the beans in the pan and boil them for 3-4 minutes or until they are just tender - you'll use the water again for the potatoes, so grab some tongs or a large spoon

While the beans are boiling, put some ice cubes and cold water into a large bowl

When the beans are just tender, turn off the heat, and use the tongs or spoon to fish the beans out of the water and transfer them to the bowl of ice water - this technique is called blanching. The quick boil creates a nice crisp texture to the vegetables and the ice water quickly stops the cooking. The technique can be used with almost any vegetable

Bring the water back to a boil and add the potatoes - cook until just tender - about 5-7 minutes. (reload the large bowl with ice water while they are cooking)

When the potatoes are done (use a fork to test - they should be firm, but not hard) - fish them out and place into the bowl of ice water and let cool

Drain the tuna and toss with a little lemon juice. Add salt if the tuna does not have salt

Wash, dry and chop the lettuce. Spread the lettuce in a single layer on a large platter and drizzle a tablespoon or two of dressing over the greens

Add the tuna in a single layer in the middle of the platter

Toss the beans with a tsp of the dressing and arrange on the platter, do the same with the potatoes and tomatoes

Cut the eggs into quarters and add them to the platter along with the olives

Drizzle about a 1/4 cup of dressing over the finished salad. Serve with the remaining dressing on the side and enjoy! You can also make this salad with grilled tuna, grilled salmon or canned salmon. If you prefer, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and toss with the dressing.