Mimosa lettuce with retro dressing

Servings: 4
You may have grown up with this dressing, or you might be looking at it and thinking, ‘WHAT!?’ Either way, welcome, and get set for a retro revival. The condensed milk combined with hot English mustard is piquancy at its peak – sweet but not sickly (trust me) and sharp enough to make every mouthful sing. I love the way the eggy mimosa dances on the top of the lettuce here and, because it’s oil-free, it’s the kind of dressed iceberg salad that you can plonk in the middle of the table (to oohs and ahhs) and happily eat for a few hours over a long lunch. If you want further crisp iceberg tips, check out the Surf club salad.
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Ingredients 

  • 1 hero iceberg lettuce soaked in icy water

CONDENSED MILK DRESSING

  • 395 g (14 oz) tin sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tbsp hot English mustard or 2 if you dare
  • ¾ cup (185 ml) white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp salt flakes
  • ½ tsp ground white pepper

FINAL BITS & BOBS

  • 4 eggs hardboiled and peeled
  • ½ cup finely sliced chives

Instructions 

  • To make the condensed milk dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
  • Drain the lettuce, remove any mangy outer leaves, trim the core flat and put the whole thing in a salad spinner. Give it a few bursts and dry well on a clean tea towel (dish towel), then transfer to the fridge to keep chilled until ready to get the party started.
  • To serve, use a sharp knife to slice the lettuce into four thick horizontal slabs, keeping the lettuce’s structural integrity as secure as possible. You’ll essentially be rebuilding the lettuce, drizzling the dressing generously in between like mortar.
  • Place the base of the lettuce on a round platter and grace with a generous amount of the dressing then, using a microplane, grate an egg over and sprinkle a little chive action. Top with the next slice of lettuce and add dressing, egg and chives as before. Continue these layers until the top is popped back into place. Finally, grate the last egg over the top for the crown and sprinkle with the remaining chives. Slice into wedges to serve at the table, or let the guests tong out bits to their (lettuce) heart’s content.

Notes

Recipe from Salad for Days, Murdoch Books

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