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New York Times

23 Classic, Memorable, Must-Make Salads

My grandma served the same salad at every family gathering, and always in the same tall-sided glass bowl. The salad was layered shredded iceberg lettuce, defrosted frozen peas, chopped parsley (curly) and bacon. Each layer would get a light sprinkle of sugar, and the top got generous dots of mayonnaise. She called it Mrs. Murphy's salad — I have absolutely no idea who Mrs. Murphy is — and as for the recipe, my mom's best guess is that it came from a cooking class my grandma attended. I realized this week that Mrs. Murphy's salad is a close relative of the classic seven layer salad, included among the 23 best salads of all time. Grandma's version didn't have all of the layers; Lidey Heuck's version includes hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes and a seasoned sour-cream-and-mayo dressing. As with most classic dishes, improvisations and alterations abound. 'Have fun with the layering,' Lidey writes, 'as long as you keep the lettuce and tomato far from the dressing so the salad stays fresh and crisp. The optional red onion is technically an extra layer, but its sharpness works really well with the richness of the dressing, bacon and cheese.' I think I'll add in some curly parsley (for nostalgia, but also because I think curly parsley gets a bad rap and I'm into reappraising foodstuffs these days) and definitely keep the shredded Cheddar. And while I enjoy my refreshing, crispy-crunchy salad, I'll consider which classic salad to make next. A big batch of tabbouleh? Sharp and sour som tum? I've never said no to niçoise … Featured Recipe View Recipe → Want all of The Times? Subscribe.