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Essentials: Little Gems with Blue Cheese Dressing

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma: Burger Night"


Recipe Introduction

"Updated Classic: This is a riff on a wedge salad, a favorite accompaniment to diner-style burgers. If you can't find little gems, use a head of romaine, chopped. The blue cheese dressing can be made up to 5 days in advance but the croutons are best served hot out of the pan. Homemade croutons are a great way to use up leftover day-old baguettes."

List of Ingredients

◦  3 tablespoons mayonnaise
◦  2 tablespoons sour cream
◦  2 tablespoons buttermilk
◦  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
◦  1 tablespoon chopped chives
◦  Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
◦  ½ cup (2½ ounces) crumbled blue cheese
◦  3 ounces pancetta, cut into small cubes
◦  1 tablespoon olive oil
◦  1 tablespoon butter
◦  1 cup crusty bread, cut into ⅛-inch cubes
◦  4 heads (1 pound) Little Gems, leaves separated but kept whole


Recipe

To make the dressing, in a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, lemon juice, chives, ¼ teaspoon salt, and â…› teaspoon pepper. Add the blue cheese and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, fry the pancetta until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Set aside.

To make the croutons, warm the olive oil and butter in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Allow to get hot enough to sizzle. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat each cube completely. Season generously with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring only a few times, until the bread is toasted, about 6 minutes.

Toss the lettuce with the blue cheese dressing and garnish with the pancetta and croutons. Serve right away.


Serves 4