Lentil Salad with Smoked Turkey

Smoked turkey is the move that lifts this lentil salad past the standard vegetarian-leaning bowl into proper main-course territory. The smoke folds into the earthy lentils and gets sharpened by Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, and a clove of raw garlic in the dressing.

Fresh tarragon is what makes this taste expensive. Its anise-tinged, herbaceous edge is what every deli chicken or turkey salad on the planet wishes it had, and a quarter cup of fresh leaves is no joke. Don’t sub dried unless you must, the flavor is fundamentally different.

Cooking the lentils in chicken broth instead of water is another small move that pays off, the lentils drink up the salty savor and you taste it in every bite. Pull them off the heat while they’re still firm to the bite, mushy lentils will turn the salad into paste once you stir in the dressing.

Chef Tips

• Use brown or French green lentils, red lentils break down too fast and won’t hold their shape in a salad
• Cool the lentils to room temperature before adding the dressing, hot lentils will split the mayo-yogurt mixture and leave you with greasy puddles
• The salad gets better after an hour in the fridge, the dressing penetrates the lentils and the flavors marry
• Make-ahead friendly, holds three days covered in the fridge for packed lunches
• Salt the dressing carefully, smoked turkey is already seasoned and the broth-cooked lentils carry salt too

Variations

• Swap smoked turkey for smoked chicken or even a smoky ham for a different bird-meets-pork balance
• Stir in a handful of toasted walnuts or pecans for crunch
• Add halved cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta for a Mediterranean spin