The method.
This is the curd version of a creamy pasta salad — a no-cook potluck dish where cold, firm cheese curds play the textural role pasta usually does. The whole thing comes together in fifteen minutes of work, then sits in the fridge while the flavors marry. The only technique that matters is keeping the salad from going watery.
Salt and drain the cucumber.
Dice the cucumber, toss with a pinch of salt, and let it drain in a colander for 10 minutes. This pulls out water that would otherwise leak into the salad and turn the dressing thin within the hour. Pat dry before using.
Whisk the dressing.
Whisk the mayonnaise, buttermilk, dill, cider vinegar, and a good amount of salt and pepper until smooth. It should be pourable but not thin. Taste it now and adjust — the dressing should be assertively seasoned, since the cold curds and vegetables are mild.
Combine the cold ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine the cold curds, halved tomatoes, drained cucumber, and sliced red onion. Keeping the curds cold and firm is the point — they're the squeaky anchor against the crisp vegetables.
Dress and chill.
Pour the dressing over and fold gently to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes so the flavors marry, but ideally not more than a few hours — past that, the vegetables start to soften.
Finish and serve.
Just before serving, fold in any reserved fresh herbs and taste once more for salt. Serve cold. It travels well to a cookout in a chilled container, which is exactly the job it was built for.
The watery-salad problem is always the cucumber. Salt it, drain it, pat it dry — ten minutes of patience buys you a salad that holds up for hours.
Notes from testing.
Seven tests, and the cucumber-salting step was the difference between a crisp salad and a soupy one by hour two. Garlic & Dill curds outperformed plain in blind tasting — the herb echo between curd and dressing pulled the whole thing together. Buttermilk in the dressing is worth seeking out; a sour-cream substitute was good but heavier. Don't dress more than a few hours ahead or the onion and cucumber start to give up water regardless.
Variations worth trying.
BLT — add crisp bacon and swap some curds for halved grape tomatoes. Greek-ish — add olives, swap dill for oregano, add a splash of lemon. Ranch — use a ranch dressing base and Gardner's plain curds. Grain bowl — fold the salad through cooked cooled farro for a heartier lunch.