Broccoli Salad with Whole Grain Dijon & Dill Vinaigrette

We celebrated my son’s 10th birthday a couple weekends ago. In between trying to wrap my head around the fact that my baby boy had reached the double digits and preparing the house for company, I tried to convince said baby boy that German potato salad would be a great dish to serve with his favorite Garlic Burgers. He did not agree. He might be only ten years old but he is very opinionated about food and made it very clear that potato salad of any kind was not acceptable. I tried to change his mind by pointing out that German potato salad has bacon in it (which he loves) but he did not give in. Although, he did suggest that we fry up some bacon to put on the burgers, a thought which I did seriously entertain. But then I went grocery shopping for the party and forgot to buy the bacon so that was that and no one had any bacon for their burgers. We finally agreed upon a marinated broccoli salad. I sort of couldn’t believe it. Given a choice between a potato salad with BACON and broccoli, my kid chose the broccoli. What can I say? Best. Kid. Ever.

This recipe makes enough for 10 because it was created for a party but you can cut the ingredients in half to serve 4 or 5 people if you want. This salad keeps incredibly well in the fridge so you might want to make a full recipe and eat the leftovers throughout the week. The broccoli only gets better the longer it marinates in the vinaigrette.

BROCCOLI SALAD with WHOLE GRAIN DIJON & DILL VINAIGRETTE

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dill
2 pounds broccoli florets
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
12 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 romaine heart, shredded
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 lemons

Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, mustard and dill in a small bowl.

Blanch broccoli florets in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and shock in an ice bath to preserve color and to stop cooking. Drain again.

Combine the broccoli, cucumber, red onion and red peppers in a large bowl. Toss with the vinaigrette. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Right before serving, place the shredded lettuce and parsley in a large serving platter. Pour the marinated vegetables over the lettuce.

Zest the two lemons and add the zest to the salad.

Juice the lemons and pour the juice over the salad.

If desired, toss gently before serving.

Serves 10.