Base or Underliner

A scoop of potato salad looks bare when served by itself on a salad plate as a side dish. Placing it on a bed of lettuce leaves makes it more appealing and also emphasizes its identity as a salad. Although most tossed green salads and many composed salads are presented without an underliner, bound salads and some other vegetable salads may be more attractive and appetizing when served on a bed of leafy greens.

Cup-shaped leaves of iceberg or Boston lettuce make attractive bases. They give height to salads and help confine loose pieces of food.