Sir Kenneth Clark’s “ham roll salad”

For four.

An odd ‘recipe’ for inclusion in an austerity cookbook; Sir Kenneth, who was Director of the National Gallery in the 1940s, must have maintained his access to the luxury trade. This is not much of a recipe at all. Nothing gets cooked, and if you can spread bread with butter you can assemble this simple salad that makes an elegant summer starter. From A Kitchen Goes To War.

-4 thin slices of good boneless ham

-‘pate de foie paste’ (or, see the Notes)

-Dijon mustard

-lettuce

-watercress

1. Spread some of the pate on each slice of ham and topped with a little mustard.
2. Roll up the ham; you may need to secure it with a toothpick or festive little skewer.
3. Lay each ham roll on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle it with some watercress.

Notes:

- Sir Kenneth offers an economical footnote to his ‘recipe:’ “If pate de foie paste is not easy to get in wartime, chicken and ham or other good paste could be used instead.” Any pate, terrine or potted food--even crab or shrimp.

- We would film the lettuce with a little malt vinegar or lemon juice and a dab of olive oil.