Board Dressing Recipes

PUB SALAD BOARD WITH CREAMY CAPER TARRAGON DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, capers, lemon juice, tarragon, dill, salt, pepper and garlic in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
• For the salad: Lay the prosciutto on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges are starting to brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly; the prosciutto slices will continue to crisp as they cool.
• Meanwhile, put the eggs in a small pot. Add water, covering the eggs by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, cover with the lid and let sit 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Peel and halve each egg, then set aside.
• To build the board, transfer the dressing to a serving bowl and place on a large board or platter. Add the butter lettuce in a pile, then arrange the eggs, crispy prosciutto, Irish Cheddar, beets, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers on the open space of the board. Sprinkle the eggs, cucumbers and tomatoes with a little salt and pepper. Serve.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH BOARD DRESSING

Steps:

• If using whole chile, toast in a dry skillet, turning often, until slightly puffed and darkened, about 4 minutes. (Do not toast red pepper flakes.) Discard stem and seeds. Finely chop chile and transfer to a small bowl. Stir in cilantro, oregano, lime zest, and 1/4 cup oil; season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Prepare grill for medium indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on 1 side of grill; for a gas grill, leave 1 burner turned off). Brush grill rack with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, on grill. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, until skin is crisp and browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 10-15 minutes per side (move chicken to cooler part of grill if it's cooking too quickly). About 5 minutes before chicken is done, baste with some of dressing.
• Pour remaining dressing onto a carving board (or platter, if you don't have a large board) and place chicken, skin side up, on top. Let sit at least 10 minutes to rest and absorb flavor from dressing before carving. Drizzle chicken with some dressing from board and serve with limes.
• DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

BOARD DRESSING

Steps:

• For a basic Board Dressing. Combine 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. You can improvise here, adding grated shallots or garlic (use a Microplane), finely chopped chiles, chopped scallions, and/or other chopped herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and sage.
• The secret flavorful last ingredient is the tip of the herb basting brush , chopped very fine and mixed into the dressing. After being in contact with the hot meat while it cooked, the rosemary, sage, or thyme will have softened a bit and released some aromatic and flavorful oils. I mix the herbs into the board dressing, then slice the meat, turning each slice in the dressing to coat. Then I pour the resulting board juices over the meat when I serve it.