Killer Spinach Salads with Hot Bacon Dressing
User Reviews
5
Killer Spinach Salads with Hot Bacon Dressing
Description
The salad’s foundation is three main textures: tender spinach leaves, the creamy richness from sliced avocado and gorgonzola, and hearty protein from eggs and crisp bacon. Preparing eggs by boiling them gently ensures firm but tender yolks. Thick-cut bacon is cooked over medium-low heat to render fat slowly and crisp evenly, providing flavorful bacon fat for the dressing.
To make the hot bacon dressing, bacon fat is combined with minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard, creating a warm dressing with a balanced tartness, sweetness, and subtle spice. Pouring the warm dressing over the spinach slightly wilts the leaves, mellowing their raw edge and blending ingredients harmoniously. Crumbled bacon scattered on top adds extra texture and taste.
This salad serves well as a starter or light meal. Minimal seasoning on top lets the ingredients and hot dressing shine. Pepper can be added to taste if desired. Leftovers should be consumed soon after dressing to maintain texture and freshness.
Ingredients
- 2 egg
- 6 lices Bacon thick-cut
- 8 cups spinach I don’t mind stems, if you do, remove them, fresh, baby
- 2 ounces gorgonzola cheese
- 1/2 avocado thinly sliced
hot bacon dressing
- 1/4 cup bacon fat
- 1 garlic minced, clove
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar!, golden
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 lices Bacon crumbled
Instructions
- I like to begin by boiling the eggs so they are finished by the time the dressing is ready. I do that by adding the eggs to cold water, heating them over medium heat and gradually increasing it to high heat. Once boiling, I boil the eggs for 2 minutes, then I remove them from the heat, cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. I then run the eggs under cold water for a few minutes and let them soak in the cold water until ready to peel.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. I think bacon is best when cooked over medium-low heat, as it crisps up evenly. Cook the bacon until all the fat is rendered and then turn off the heat. Place the bacon on a paper towel to slightly drain and cool. Gently pour the bacon fat into a bowl or cup.
- To assemble the salads, pile your spinach on a plate and cover with the sliced hard boiled eggs, avocado and gorgonzola. Crumble on two slices of bacon and season with a bit of pepper if you’d like. I find that this salad doesn’t need a lot of salt since the components are so salty.
hot bacon dressing
- Add the bacon grease, , minced garlic, vinegar, sugar and mustard to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the dressing slightly emulsifies. Season with the salt and pepper. Before serving, add in the crumbled bacon. You can keep this over low heat while stirring occasionally until ready to serve. I suggest reheating it in a saucepan like so. This is the combo I’ve come to love over the years, but you can experiment with different vinegars, more bacon fat and other spices too!
Notes
- Prepare hard-boiled eggs by starting in cold water and letting them sit covered after brief boiling for even cooking and easy peeling.
- Cook bacon over medium-low heat for even crisping and maximum rendered fat for dressing.
- Reserve bacon fat carefully for dressing; pour off slowly to avoid solid pieces.
- This salad is best served immediately after tossing with the hot dressing to keep spinach texture balanced.
- The dressing recipe is adapted from Alton Brown.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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