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BLT Salad

Source of Recipe

From "To the Last Bite" by Alexis Deboschnek


Recipe Introduction

"My first job at fifteen was as a dishwasher in a diner in the tiny town of Andes, New York. On busy days, the owner-chef would have me help out in the kitchen. After a few hours flipping pancakes on the griddle and frying eggs in butter, I'd be rewarded with a BLT. I'd slather mayonnaise on a New York-style hard roll and top it with a thick slice of tomato, extra crispy bacon, and iceberg lettuce. Age has taught me eating BLTs every day isn't a sustainable diet, so when I'm looking for that fix, I try to lighten things up with this *slightly* healthier option. Behold the BLT salad! I love Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise for its tangy flavor (it's made with egg yolks and rice vinegar), but any mayonnaise works just fine here. For this recipe, I start bacon in a cold oven so that the fat slowly renders as the oven heats up, resulting in perfectly crispy bacon."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 strips bacon
â—¦ 5 slices ciabatta, roughly torn (about 2 cups)
â—¦ 3 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise
â—¦ ¼ cup buttermilk
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, grated
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives, plus more to serve
â—¦ Juice of 1 lemon
â—¦ 4 pieces Little Gems lettuce, leaves separated
â—¦ 1 large tomato, roughly chopped



Recipe

Place the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven and turn on the heat to 400° F.

Cook the bacon for 18 minutes, or to desired crispiness. Leave the bacon fat on the baking sheet and transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool to room temperature.

Toss the ciabatta in the bacon fat, and return the baking sheet to the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the ciabatta is golden and crisped.

In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic, salt, pepper, chives, and lemon juice to combine.

Toss the Little Gems with the crispy bread, bacon, and tomato.
Drizzle the salad with the buttermilk dressing and serve immediately.

Serves 2 to 4