Sometimes, you just crave a giant salad for dinner. A good salad has got to be vibrant, fresh, and textural. This one has everything: salty creamy potatoes, crunchy red peppers, sweet corn, creamy yet bouncy Halloumi cheese, and a zingy balsamic drizzle. It’s really good. We had it for dinner last night and it was such a substantial meal despite being vegetarian.
I wish my daughter hadn’t come into the kitchen and annihilated the remaining Halloumi because I want to eat it again right now.
This salad takes a little extra time because you need to roast the potatoes and grill the Halloumi but it’s well worth it.
What you need:
3 large gold potatoes, cubed into 1 inch pieces
zest of one lemon
1 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried oregano
6-8 oz Halloumi, cut similar size to the potatoes
8 oz crunchy mixed greens
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 ears of grilled corn, corn sliced off the cob (frozen corn will work in a pinch but I seem to always have corn leftovers this time of year)
a few green olives, quartered
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
about 1/4 cup of olive oil + 1-2 tbsp extra
2 -3 tbsp balsamic reduction
salt and pepper
Begin by preheating the oven to 425°. Place chopped potatoes on a baking sheet and pour over 1/4 cup of olive oil. It’s a lot but the potatoes will soak it up. Sprinkle over some freshly ground salt and pepper. Don’t be shy with the salt. Now grate the zest of a lemon over the top and then grate the garlic clove as well. Add oregano. Stir everything well to combine. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned and pierce easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad. When the potatoes are cooked add them to a serving bowl. Keep the baking pan and do not clean it, put the Halloumi pieces right on the baking sheet that should still have some olive oil and seasoning on it. Add a little extra olive oil to the top of the cheese. Stir and place under the broiler for 2 minutes, stir and place back in for 1 more minute. Watch so the cheese does not burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. The cheese will be melty but still held together.
Add all of the lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and corn to the serving dish with the potatoes. Pour the cheese and pan oil onto the salad. Use a rubber spatula to try and get all the yummy garlic oil from the pan. Drizzle over some balsamic reduction. Toss the salad and enjoy.
**most stores carry some variation of Balsamic Reduction in a 8-9 oz bottle. It might appear pricey but a little goes a long way. One bottle usually lasts me the entire summer. Alessi or 365 are good brands.
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