If I were to choose only one meal I could have forever it would probably be a salad with all the toppings that I want. This Wedge Salad by Tasty Kitchen member Lindsay was just that: lovely greens topped with crunchy, salty, sweet, creamy goodness.

To make it you will need: blue cheese, bacon, shallots, Greek yogurt, buttermilk, iceberg lettuce (or romaine will also work nicely), red and white wine vinegar (or in my case, sherry vinegar), mayonnaise, cherry tomatoes (I used a big juicy ripe one), and flour. Also, chives would be nice for a garnish if you have them handy.

You’ll start by rendering the bacon in a pan over medium heat, letting all of the fat bubble until the bacon becomes crisp on both sides. Then you’ll remove the bacon to a paper towel and save the fat in the pan.

Next thinly slice your shallots and separate the rings.

Give your lettuce a rinse and pat it dry. Lindsay used a nice wedge of iceberg, but since I happen to love romaine, I just took off the inner leaves and layered them on top of each other. It had a nice crispness the way iceberg would. Go wild with your lettuce I say!

Dice your tomato. A medley of grape or cherry tomatoes would be nice here, simply cut in half. Or if you have a big tomato, give it a nice bite-sized dice.

Toss your shallot rings into a bit of flour.

Get your bacon fat hot again and drop in the shallots to let them fry.

Keep turning them so they cook evenly and are nice and brown.

Add them to the paper towel with the bacon and as they cool, they will crisp up more.

Start dressing the salad! Add the tomatoes, blue cheese, and crumble the bacon in your hands and sprinkle it over the lettuce.

Then add your crispy shallots all over.

Next you’ll make your dressing, which is a lovely dressing to have on hand should you decide to make a larger batch in advance. Start by combining mayonnaise and Greek yogurt.

Then a bit of buttermilk.

Then a sprinkle of blue cheese.

Then your vinegar. Lindsay used red and white wine vinegar but I happen to love this sherry vinegar I had on hand so I threw in a dash of that. Lindsay also added a bit of sugar, which you could do as well if it suits your taste buds. You can play here.

Mix it all up with a spoon and drizzle it onto your salad.

It is creamy and delicious and crunchy and otherworldly.

It’s a perfect meal when you’re dining solo on a summer afternoon. Or any day of the week or time of the year. I would eat this all the time.

Thanks so much to Lindsay for sharing this with us! Check out her website Perfecting the Pairing for other tasty treats.

Recipe

Wedge Salad

by Lindsay on May 30, 2012 in Salads
See this recipe post on Lindsay’s site! May 30, 2012

Salads

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time

Cook Time

Difficulty Easy

Servings 6

6

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Recipe Description

The retro wedge salad is upgraded with a homemade blue cheese dressing and crispy shallots.

Preparation Instructions

Fry bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Drain bacon on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, crumble it and set aside.

Add 1 inch of oil to a pan, heat over high heat. Toss the shallot rings with flour until coated. Once the oil is hot, add one shallot to test the temperature, it should start bubbling immediately. If the oil is hot, add the remaining shallots and fry until golden. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Season generously with salt while still warm.

For the dressing, in a small bowl, add the blue cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, mayonnaise and vinegars. Mix until combined. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper and chives. You can also use store-bought dressing if time is short.

To serve, place a wedge of lettuce on the plate, top with tomatoes, crumbled bacon, blue cheese dressing and crispy shallots.

Ingredients

• FOR THE SALAD:
• 6 strips Bacon
• Oil, For Frying
• 8 whole Shallots, Sliced Into Rings
• ¼ cups Flour
• Salt To Taste
• 1 head Iceberg Lettuce, Cut Into Wedges
• 1 pint Grape Tomatoes, Halved
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 2 ounces, weight High Quality Blue Cheese, Crumbled
• ¼ cups Plain Greek Yogurt (light Or Fat Free Is Fine)
• ¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Of Low Fat Buttermilk
• ¼ cups Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
• ½ teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
• ½ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• Pepper To Taste
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Chives

 
 
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.