BLT Salad with Maple-Cured Bacon

Name: BLT Salad with Maple-Cured Bacon
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 1/4 pound (four 1/4-inch slices) Maple-Cured Bacon (page 230) or store-bought thick-cut bacon; 1/2 shallot, minced; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 large head frisée, torn into bite-size pieces; 2 pounds assorted ripe heirloom tomatoes, such as Brandywine, Green Zebra, Sungold, and red beefsteak, large ones sliced or cut into wedges; 6 ounces blue cheese, such as Roaring Forties or Stilton, cut into 4 equal wedges

December 9, 2011

I like taking foods I’ve grown up with and putting an adult spin on them. This knife-and-fork salad contains the elements of a BLT—bacon, lettuce, and tomato—but I replace the mayo with a big wedge of incredibly full-flavored Roaring Forties blue cheese. It’s important for the bacon to be superthick, almost like a ham steak. If you don’t make the bacon yourself, which is so beyond worth it, go to your local butcher and bring home slab bacon. There are only a handful of ingredients in this simple dish, but they are all important and shouldn’t be skimped on.

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