Marinated Cucumber Salad

1. 1

   In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, rice vinegar, honey, mint, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with additional mint sprigs.

2. 2

   Nutritional analysis is per serving.

3. 3

   Chef Harland's salad tips:

4. 4

   Buy fresh. Inspect the lettuce for browning, wilting, dried spots, or other signs of age. You want leaves to be bright, crisp, and moist.

5. 5

   Dry the leaves. Water wilts greens and dilutes dressing. A toss with a few paper towels picks up the moisture left by most salad spinners.

6. 6

   Match greens with the right dressing. Butter lettuce and tender spring greens are best when gently coated with a lightly acidic dressing. Heavier greens can stand up to big flavors and stronger acids.

7. 7

   Make it bite-size. Cut all your ingredients roughly the same size. This makes the salad easier to eat and keeps attention on the flavor.

8. 8

   Let the flavors mix. When making a dressing, let the acid (vinegar, lemon juice) absorb the seasonings (garlic, shallot, spices, herbs) for at least 15 minutes before adding the oil.

9. 9

   Check seasoning. Dip a leaf of lettuce into the dressing; it'll give you a more accurate taste than sampling with a spoon.

10. 10

    Toss with your hands. No other tool is as gentle or gives you as much control.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.