The Best Salad Recipe {Salad de Maison}
User Reviews
5
The Best Salad Recipe {Salad de Maison}
Description
The Best Salad Recipe {Salad de Maison} is built around the crisp, tender inner leaves of romaine lettuce, offering a substantial green base. Toasted slivered almonds add a gentle crunch and a nutty warmth, while cooked bacon brings a savory, smoky element that contrasts well with fresh grape tomatoes. Swiss cheese shredded through the salad lends mild creaminess, complemented by the sharper notes of finely shredded Parmesan.
The lemon dressing, made from light olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and honey, coats the salad evenly, providing a bright, tangy, and slightly sweet flavor that harmonizes with the other ingredients. The combination of textures — crisp greens, crunchy nuts and croutons, tender tomato halves, and creamy cheese — creates a satisfying mouthfeel.
This salad suits a variety of occasions; it can function as a refreshing starter or a side dish to grilled meats or poultry. The balance of fresh and roasted flavors, with the lemony dressing cutting through the richness of bacon and cheese, provides a well-rounded eating experience.
The recipe suggests substituting regular olive oil if light olive oil is unavailable, noting the difference in flavor intensity. Using the crisp center of the romaine hearts is important to achieve the intended texture. Toasting almonds until lightly golden unlocks their flavor, while baking bacon ensures an even, nearly crisp texture that crisps fully when cooled before chopping.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds slivered
- 10 oz Bacon (10 slices)
- 3 large romaine lettuce chopped into bite size pieces (from 22 oz, 18 oz once chopped, hearts
- 1 pint grape tomato halved
- 1 cup (4 oz) swiss cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup (1.4 oz) Parmesan Cheese finely shredded
- 1 1/2 cups croutons
Lemon Dressing
- 3/4 cup olive oil light
- 1/3 cup lemon juice fresh
- 2 garlic minced, cloves
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper to taste, freshly ground
Instructions
- To make the dressing: Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon and honey to a jar. Add salt and pepper. Cover and seal with lid, shake to blend. If needed stir up honey if it sticks to bottom of jar. Chill in refrigerator while you prepare remainder.
- To toast almonds: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds into an even layer on a small baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until just lightly golden brown, about 6 - 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through toasting. Remove from oven, set aside to cool.
- To cook bacon: Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place bacon strips on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in preheated oven until browned and nearly crisp (they'll should crisp up fully once cooled), about 13 - 18 minutes (time will vary based on thickness of bacon).
- Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and let cool. Once cool chop bacon into small pieces.
- To prepare salad: Rinse lettuce under cold water and run though a salad spinner (affiliate link) in batches to dry well. Add lettuce to a large serving bowl.
- Add in almonds, bacon, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and parmesan cheese. Shake dressing again then pour over salad, toss salad then add croutons and toss again. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use the crisp inner romaine lettuce hearts for the best texture; substitute with pre-chopped romaine or whole romaine heads if unavailable.
- Light olive oil creates a milder dressing flavor; regular olive oil or vegetable oil can be used as alternatives with flavor differences.
- Toast almonds until lightly golden to enhance their nuttiness without burning, and let cool before adding to salad.
- Bake bacon until nearly crisp at 400°F, then cool and chop for ideal texture in salad.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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