Lentil Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from Hannaford's March/April Fresh magazine. The original recipe is the Asparagus and Lentil Salad with Buttermilk Dressing. The dressing is easily one of my favorite buttermilk dressing ever!


















We had everything but the radishes so we made it without. You can make and refrigerate the dressing and lentils up to 2 days in advance.

Ingredients

for the dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

For the lentils:

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups water

1 cup French lentils, rinsed

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. lemon zest and 3 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon

1 head Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper

Process

1.  To make buttermilk dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, buttermilk, parsley, chives, lemon juice, and mustard in a medium bowl until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste; refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. Combine water and lentils in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils and transfer to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil and lemon zest and juice to bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside. (refrigerate for a cold salad)

3. To serve, line a platter with lettuce. Stir lentil mixture to re-coat with lemon and oil, then spread evenly over lettuce. Spoon dressing evenly over top and serve.