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The Best Salad Recipe {Salad de Maison}
5 from 72 votes

The Best Salad Recipe {Salad de Maison}

This salad features crisp romaine lettuce hearts, toasted slivered almonds, and smoky crispy bacon bits, combined with shredded Swiss and finely grated Parmesan cheeses. Grape tomatoes add freshness, and crunchy croutons provide texture contrast. The lemon dressing blends olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, and honey with salt and pepper to balance brightness and richness. The almonds and bacon contribute to a satisfying mix of savory and nutty flavors, making it a balanced salad suitable as a side or a light meal.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 9
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

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

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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).
  4. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and let cool. Once cool chop bacon into small pieces.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.