My Dad’s lettuce salad was probably my favourite summer salad when I was growing up. My Dad loved to cook and he was good at it. The food was simple but always very tasty. During summer, he would go to the local farmer’s market to get fresh ingredients for his famous dishes. He would buy whatever was available at that time and create his own recipes.
Radishes are very popular in Poland and this creamy salad takes me back to my childhood. In our home, we serve this salad all spring and summer long at least once or twice a week.
Lettuce with sour cream and radish is a delightful spring dinner addition that is crispy, crunchy, and incredibly satisfying. Very quick to make, it is as simple as chopping up some veggies and mixing in sour cream as the salad dressing. Salt and pepper to taste and it’s ready to serve.
Here is my Dad’s lettuce salad recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 large lettuce (I like to use romaine, Butterhead or Boston lettuce)
- 1 bunch radishes (8-9)
- 1-2 tomatoes or 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber
- 3-4 tablespoon sour cream
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
Wash all vegetables.
- Tear the leaves into smaller, bite-sized pieces
- Thinly slice radishes. Personally, I like to grate the radishes on a grater box with larger holes (see the photo).
- Chop tomatoes into cubes. You can also use cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
- Chop the cucumber
- Put everything in one large bowl
- Add finely chopped green onions
- Mix in the sour cream and season with salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Stir to coat the salad in dressing
- Sprinkle finely chopped dill over the lettuce
- Serve immediately
- Enjoy your meal!
I like to serve my salad slightly cooled, so I keep it in the fridge for a few minutes before adding it to dinner.
Sour cream is an awesome and such a simple way to dress a salad. It pairs well with all the veggies. However, if you want lower fat content, you can substitute with Greek Yogurt or a low fat sour cream.
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The salad is super versatile, and you can put your own spin on it by adding grated cauliflower florets, grated carrot or sliced celery.
Since bacon makes everything better, sometimes I bake a few slices of bacon and crumble it into the salad just before serving.
This salad can be served with any dish but my favourite would be:
- Polish meat patties or kotlety mielone (here is my Mom’s traditional recipe)
- Chicken cutlets (see my wife’s famous recipe)
- Polish potato casserole (see the recipe)
- Pork cutlets
- Schnitzel
- Pierogies
SMACZNEGO!!!
