BLT Salad for Two

I think about ways to use bacon. A lot. We live in a tiny town that has a gas station, two restaurants, a corner bar and a meat market. I should mention we live in a small German town and its not just a meat market but a smokehouse. And they make some incredible bacon from locally sourced pork.

While you may not have your very own German Smokehouse on hand to provide you with bacon, you should really consider keeping some quality, thick-cut bacon in your fridge at all times. You never know when that craving is going to hit or inspiration is going to strike.

Last week, all I could think about was a BLT but I am trying to up my vitamin intake after recent bloodwork, so I use up my daily carb allotment with a big bowl of multi-grain cheerios in the morning (Fun Fact: They have 100% of your daily value of iron, B6, B12, and D vitamins. TBD if it actually helps). Enter the BLT salad. I whipped this together for lunch and it was a huge hit with both Daniel and me.

I like this “recipe” for working from home because it’s easy for me to throw the bacon in the oven an hour or so before lunch between Slack calls and then quickly bring it all together at lunchtime. It is also a great one if you have a green thumb and can grow the lettuces and tomatoes and are looking for something to do with them!

I served it with small bowls of french onion soup and a mini-cheese plate with brie and mango-ginger crisps. Like usual, this is less of a recipe and more of an ingredient list. You can easily make this for a large group by doubling or tripling.

BLT Salad for Two

Ingredients

• 1 small-medium sized head of romaine

• 2 handfuls of spinach

• 5 slices of thick-cut bacon (I like applewood smoked)

• Tomatoes - 1 nice Beefsteak, or 2 good Romas, or 2 handfuls of ripe cherry tomatoes; the quality of the tomato matters a whole lot more than what type.

• Olive or grapeseed oil

• Red wine or apple cider vinegar

• Salt & Pepper (I use Trader Joe’s garlic salt, but would not use any other brand for this)

• Crispy Fried Onions (Again, I use Trader Joe’s brand)

• See note below for additional items you can add

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 400 (I use my toaster oven!). Line baking sheet with foil or parchment and place 5 slices of bacon on foil or parchment. Place in oven and cook until crisp.

2. Using a large chef’s knife, cut the romaine head in half, leaving the very base intact. Starting at the top, slice into 1/2 inch thick strips. Set aside.

3. Slice tomatoes into 1-inch sections (shape will vary based on what you used, but the goal is just something bite-sized).

4. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together a splash of both vinegar and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste — start easy on the salt as the bacon will bring a lot to the party.

5. Once the bacon is cooked, remove from the oven and place bacon on paper towels to drain. Carefully add a spoonful of the bacon fat to the bowl and whisk into vinaigrette. Add the tomatoes and gently stir to marinate the tomatoes.

6. Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces.

7. Add the lettuce and spinach to the bowl, tossing gently to coat with the bacon vinaigrette.

8. Sprinkle chopped bacon pieces and a small handful of french-fried onions

9. Serve al fresco with sparkling water (or white wine if that’s your thing).

Note: You can also add fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, and basil all come to mind), cucumbers, sliced shallots or green onions to this as well if you have those things on hand.