Potato, tuna belly and pecorino salad

A simple and original salad  of potatoes, belly and pecorino cheese, to which he has also added lettuce. It is one of my favorite salads, it consists of lettuce with many things (because I am not a fan of lettuce so I tend to camouflage it or do without it) and mix raw ingredients with cooked, which for me is always a combination of success when we talk of salads. Additionally, and while still being very Mediterranean, it incorporates sesame whose oil, in my opinion, combines very well with extra virgin olive oil. This salad is perfect for summer barbecues and is inspired by Bobby Flay, but can also be made using the oven grill. It is a 2-in-1 accompaniment (salad and potatoes) for barbecued meat and fish, although it can often be eaten as a single dish.

Potato salad preparation

1. Prepare the fried onion: In a frying pan put 60 ml (about 4 tablespoons) of extra virgin olive oil and fry a small finely chopped onion. When the onion is tender and very golden, remove from the heat, drain in a colander and reserve. The oil can be used again (I like to use it as a stew since it already has an onion flavor) and the onion can be kept in the fridge for several days to be used in different preparations.
2. We cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes. We wash the potatoes very well and cook them with the skin in plenty of water until they are tender but not fully cooked. Let’s say that we want them half-cooked, that they could almost be eaten, although we would notice them a little hard.
3. We roast the potatoes. Cut the half-cooked potatoes into slices about 1 cm thick. We mix 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil together with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and with a brush put a little oil on the potato slices. We place the potatoes on the barbecue or in the oven to finish cooking. If they are done on the barbecue, the grid lines will be marked, if they are done with the oven grill they will be golden (like the ones in the photo).
4. We prepare the vinaigrette. We put 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon of mustard together with the salt (I put about half a teaspoon) and emulsify. If there is some leftover oil mixture from the potatoes, I will also add it here.
5. We assemble the plate, put a bed of lettuce, add the fried onion, put the potato slices on top and the loins of drained tuna belly, sprinkle with the white sesame, water with the vinaigrette, add a little coarse salt and place the cheese.

It only remains to enjoy this perfect salad for a barbecue or as a unique dish. Enter through the eyes. To eat!

This salad can be eaten warm or cold, and supports multiple variations. I hope you like it.