Standing alone in the 3 a.m. darkness of a petite Paris apartment that my friends and I had called home for a week, I awakened from a dream in which I was picnicking on a grassy knoll with an exploding basket of runny cheeses and potato salad a la Francaise—the silky, vinaigrette-dressed potato salad that rivals the mayo-clad counterpart we all know and love. I groggily shuffled over to our tiny fridge to find nothing but a small heap of strawberries quietly rotting from our neglect. (This wasn’t quite the Paris experience I had hoped for.)

As the sun’s rays finally flooded through our windows, Paris came alive: the collective hum of scooters and cars, the faint clack-clack-clacks of women deftly walking in heels on the patchy cobblestone streets. I wound a scarf around my neck and soon I was clack-clacking along with them, on a mission to recreate my dream picnic.

But my Paris rendezvous with potato salad a la Francaise was not to be. The city is full of distractions when you’re on a mission—all kinds of amusements that only the strong-willed can resist: the streetside crepe stands, the artsy store window displays neighboring populated cafes on almost every corner. By the time I had reached La Grande Epicerie, the mothership of gourmet shops in Paris, to purchase my ingredients, I already had inhaled a ham and cheese crepe, a slice of pear tart (washed down with un chocolat viennois, nonetheless), and two chocolate croissants (How do the French stay so thin?). Clearly, my willpower needs a little more work.

Now that I’m back in my kitchen where distractions are scarce, this potato salad dream is front and center. For French potato salad, boiled potatoes are sliced or quartered, dressed by a tangy vinaigrette studded with scallions, dill and tarragon. It’s served warm, or at room temperature, so the licorice flavors of tarragon and sharp acidity of white wine vinegar aren’t dulled by the cold. It’s a small pleasure when paired with a simple sandwich of the meat-and-cheese variety, and is especially luxurious when tucked into a picnic basket for a leisurely outdoor meal on the grass in your nearest park.

The following is a basic French potato salad that you can use as a blank canvas: add in some bacon bits for a smoky treat, or caramelize some yellow onions for a sweet note. I use baby Red Rose potatoes simply because they’re bite-sized and make for a lovely presentation, but you’ll be fine with regular-sized red potatoes, fingerlings or any other waxy variety.

FRENCH POTATO SALAD
4 to 6 side servings

• 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes (or any other waxy variety)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 scallions, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Scrub potatoes in cold water until clean. Remove any eyes or weird growth with a paring knife.
2. Fill a large pot with water over high heat and bring to a boil. Place potatoes in pot and cook, covered, until just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. (If using larger potatoes, cook time will be a bit longer.) You’ll know they’re done when you can pierce a potato easily with a knife. Drain, and let cool while you make the vinaigrette.
3. Whisk olive oil, vinegar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Add in scallions, tarragon, dill and garlic. Set aside.
4. While still warm, slice potatoes into 1/4-inch discs, and place in a large serving bowl.
5. Pour vinaigrette over potatoes and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately while warm, or cool to room temperature. Now go out and have a picnic under the sun.

My apologies for the light posting today. I can barely keep my eyes open — let alone attempt to say something with wit — because of all the meds I’m on right now. All I can offer you is this salad, and if my memory serves me well, it was a good one at that.

This peppery salad is the last thing I could taste before a nasty sinus infection set in and rendered my taste buds useless. But it could have been worse. The last thing I ate could have been something awful, like Brussels sprouts or a bowl of frozen peas. I thank my lucky stars.

It’s been a few days and I still can’t taste anything, but the memory of this simple salad still lives on. I loved the crouton-sized roasted sweet potatoes, which lent a sunny vibe to an otherwise wintery salad. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

This is another one of those simple-is-best salads, where you can really taste the ingredients. Try it as a first course with a roast chicken, or as a full meal in itself. And reward yourself: don’t skimp on the cheese. You deserve it.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH SWEET POTATO CROUTONS
Yield: 4 servings

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed and dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups packed arugula
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut sweet potato into crouton-sized pieces and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pieces are browned and tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, add arugula, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss mixture until all leaves are coated. Throw in roasted sweet potatoes, toss, and garnish with shaved Parmesan.

It wasn’t until recently that I could eat an Insalata Caprese as is – without picking around the tomatoes for everything else. Over time, I had somehow developed an aversion to whole tomatoes. And a trip to Whole Foods provided evidence that people out there share my tomato mentality: The Insalata on the buffet had been picked clean of all mozzarella.

Lately though, the salad has won me over based on looks alone (Insalata caprese, though simple, is gorgeous), and I’ve been able to at least recognize and appreciate the role of the tomato in the dish. They’re good. Cherry tomatoes especially.

Insalata Caprese is easy as a salad, or can double as an equally simple passed hors d’oeuvres when skewered. I use cherry tomatoes on the vine, as well as bocconcini mozzarella, which are roughly the same size as the tomatoes. Because of that factor alone, they make for an elegant presentation with little effort – all you have to do is halve them. And echoing what everyone else says about the salad, use good olive oil. It makes a world of difference. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

INSALATA CAPRESE

• Yield: 4 servings, or 6-8 appetizer servings
• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes
  8 ounces fresh mozzarella (preferably bocconcini)
  8-10 basil leaves
  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  Salt and pepper, to taste

PROCEDURE:
1. Rinse and dry cherry tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half and place in a salad bowl. Slice bocconcini in half. If using a fresh mozzarella slab, slice into pieces roughly the size of tomatoes. Place in bowl with tomatoes.
2. Chop basil leaves into a chiffonade (long, thin strips), add to bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss caprese until combined. Serve immediately.

VARIATION:
To serve as an appetizer: Follow step 1 above. Place one tomato half and bocconcini half onto a wooden skewer. Roll basil leaf and place on skewer, finish with another tomato half and bocconcini half. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place on tray to serve immediately.