17.5 oz can Island Trollers Tuna, broken into large chunks
About 1 dozen red lettuce leaves
Fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
To prepare asparagus, preheat the oven to 400° F. The woody root end of the asparagus needs to be snapped off before cooking. Take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger and bend until it breaks; the asparagus breaks (or snaps) where the woody part ends and the fresh delicious juicy asparagus begins.
Drizzle a small amount of oil in a 13×9-inch baking pan. Place trimmed asparagus in the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Roll the asparagus back and forth to coat them with the oil. Bake in the 400° oven for about 15 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside.
Place whole (or cut in half if they are larger in size) potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cool water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and boil gently for 15 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but still firm when pierced with a fork. Drain off the water and set the potatoes aside until cool enough to handle.
Bring about 1 ½ cups of water to a boil in a smaller saucepan. Add the beans, cover and return to a boil. Boil over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes for haricot verts and up to 7 minutes for larger beans, or until just tender but slightly firm to the bite. Drain and run under cool water for a few seconds or dunk in an ice water bath to stop the cooking and preserve the bright green color.
Cut the peppers through the pleats, remove and discard the seeds. Pile up the peeled pepper wedges and cut them into thin julienne strips.
To serve, line a large platter with lettuce leaves. Place the asparagus, potatoes, beans, peppers, and olives to the platter and drizzle with dressing. Mound the tuna into the middle of the Niçoise salad, and sprinkle with additional thyme leaves. Serve immediately.