Naples Nugget Salad

I was awoken this morning to the sound of hail on our roof, which put a real damper on my mood as I had big ambitions to go for a run.  I have a half marathon in a little over a week and want to get one big run in before the race.  Colin too was a bit out of sorts as he was studying for his last and final exam of the semester.

To get out of our funk Colin blared some 80’s hits and I puttered around the kitchen to make us a lunch to cheer us up.  I chose to try a recipe out of the spring issue of Taste, BC Liquor Stores promotional magazine.  There are 4 free magazines a year and I'm always impressed with the quality of recipes they have.  Each recipe, of course, comes with a suggested pairing of some sort of boozy beverage.   I decided on the Naples Nugget Salad recipe, because it used rainbow new potatoes and prosciutto.  The prosciutto is roasted in the oven with the potatoes which makes it a nice crispy addition to the salad. It turned out to be the perfect lunch to pick up our grey day.

Naples Nugget Salad

Salad:

1.5 lbs rainbow baby potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

6 slices prosciutto, torn into bite size pieces

½ mixed pitted olives

1 cup red and yellow cherry tomatoes

¼ fresh basil, chopped

2 cups baby arugula

Dressing:

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1tsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp sea salt

Pinch red pepper flakes

Pinch fennel seeds, crushed

¼ tsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400F.  Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and add prosciutto and olives, return to oven for another 5-8 minutes, the potatoes should be tender.

In the meantime combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix to combine.  Set aside.

When potatoes are done remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes.  In a serving dish combine the tomatoes, basil and potato mixture.  Add enough dressing to coat well.  Fold in half of the arugula and sprinkle the rest of the arugula over salad once plated.

Bon Appetit!