This is everything I want from a substantial salad: crisp leaves and peppers, buttery new potatoes, green beans with a little bite and warm golden halloumi added at the very last moment. It feels light and fresh, but there is no danger of being hungry again an hour later.

The honey-mustard dressing pulls the warm and cold elements together beautifully. I make a small bottle at a time because it is useful far beyond this recipe, and the garlic is completely optional—particularly if the dressing is destined for an office lunch.

Green beans make this particularly lovely in summer, although the ingredients are easy to find throughout the year. Their slight bite is an important contrast to the buttery potatoes and soft, golden halloumi.

Method

1. Make the dressing. Put the mustard, honey, lemon juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, optional garlic and black pepper into a clean jar. Close tightly and shake until emulsified. Taste and adjust the mustard, honey or lemon if needed, then refrigerate while you prepare the salad.
2. Cook the potatoes. Put the new potatoes into a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer until tender when pierced with a skewer, approximately 12–15 minutes depending on their size. Drain well and cut larger potatoes in half.
3. Char the green vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the green beans, then cook for 3–4 minutes until beginning to colour. Add a small splash of water, allow it to steam away and test the vegetables. Repeat with another splash if needed; they should be cooked but retain a little bite.
4. Butter the potatoes. Reduce the heat to low, move the green vegetables to one side and add the potatoes with the butter. Turn them gently for 3–4 minutes until warm, lightly golden and coated. Season everything with black pepper; extra salt is rarely necessary because the halloumi and olives are already salty.
5. Build the salad. Arrange the shredded lettuce, red pepper, most of the spring onions and the olives in a wide bowl or on a plate. Place the warm potatoes in the centre and top with the green beans.
6. Cook the halloumi last. Heat a clean, dry frying pan over a high heat. Cook the halloumi for 1–2 minutes on each side until deeply golden.
7. Finish and serve immediately. Place the hot halloumi over the salad, scatter with the remaining spring onions and spoon over enough honey-mustard dressing to lightly coat everything.

Preparing it for lunch

Cook the potatoes and green vegetables in advance and refrigerate them separately from the leaves and dressing. Pack the dressing in a small leakproof container. Halloumi is at its best straight from the pan, but for a packed lunch it can be cooked, cooled promptly and eaten cold; its texture will be firmer.

For another substantial salad, try my hot-smoked salmon and warm potato salad or Mackerel Niçoise-style salad with mustard sauce and butter potatoes.

Kitchen note: You can find useful frying pans, dressing jars and other equipment in Foodwizardry’s Amazon shop. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Allergy note: Halloumi contains milk. Mustard is an allergen, and prepared mustard or mint products may contain additional allergens. Check the labels of the brands used.