A good chopped salad is a buoyant mix of different textures (creamy, crisp, crunchy, juicy), a range of colors, and sweet, salty and tangy flavors.

This one has it all, in just the right proportions. You can gather all the ingredients in advance, including cooking the bacon and the eggs. But don’t toss everything together until just before serving — and, preferably, do so at the table for maximum impact.

Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 romaine hearts (about 1 pound), trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• 3/4 cup (about 6 ounces) chopped cooked bacon

• 3/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or feta

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced

• 2 hard-cooked (or jammy) eggs, quartered

Directions:

Make the dressing: Zest the lemon into a small bowl, then halve the naked lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Whisk in oil and season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

Put the romaine into a large bowl, then top with tomatoes, bacon, cucumber, blue cheese and scallions. Drizzle in about two thirds of the dressing, then toss until well coated.

Place sliced avocado and eggs on top of salad, and season lightly with salt and pepper (especially the avocado, which can take a lot of salt). Drizzle salad with remaining dressing, and serve.

Total time: 20 minutes, serves 6-8.

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