A simple, fresh green salad is the ultimate foil to everything from seared steak to chicken cutlets to delivery pizza. And our favorite version doesn't require a complicated dressing or a bunch of prepped veggies—just cold, crisp lettuce, salt and pepper, and lemon and oil. Here's how to dress a salad the Basically way.
Fill a spinner bowl, large bowl, or clean sink basin with cold tap water, and the greens, and agitate gently to remove grit. Lift out and gently shake off excess water. (This also helps to revive any limp, sad-looking leaves.)
Spin dry. Don't have a spinner? Space two or three paper towels inside a plastic shopping bag with a few handfuls of greens and whirl the bag over your head for several revolutions. Repeat until dry. (Seriously, it works!)
Cover the bowl of clean, dry greens with a damp paper towel and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use (up to 3 hours) so your leaves remain crisp and cool and ready for salad greatness.
Now it's time to start dressing. You have more control over the balance of flavor if you drizzle the greens with the acid (i.e. citrus juice or vinegar) first. Toss 10 loosely packed cups of greens in a large, wide bowl with 1-2 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice until evenly coated.
Holding you hand high above the bowl, sprinkle the greens generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Time to get hands-on with this salad. We're just going to say it: No matter how careful you are, salad tongs can bruise and tear delicate greens. It may be messy, but using your hands to toss ensures every surface gets coated with flavor and those leaves stay crisp and unblemished.
Slowly drizzle 2 Tbsp. good-quality extra-virgin olive oil over your greens, then toss again (hands, please!) just to coat. (You don't want to wilt the greens!) If they don't look uniformly shiny, drizzle with another tablespoon or two. Taste for seasoning, and add a bit more salt or acid until it tastes balanced.
The final step? Plating your salad up all cute. (I mean, you could just serve it in the bowl, but we're adults, non?) Gently scoop up the leaves with your hands and place them on a plate, encouraging them to stand tall in a pile. It should look like the leaves magically fell from a tree onto the plate already dressed.
