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Warm Spinach and Bacon Salad

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food"


Recipe Introduction

"Smoky, salty bacon makes almost everything taste better, and this hearty salad is no exception. It may even make kids happily eat their greens. Bacon has lots of presence here, so look for good-quality, thick-cut bacon for the tastiest results. And try not to eat all the crisp bacon bits while you assemble the salads."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 1 pound button mushrooms, halved
â—¦ 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
â—¦ 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
â—¦ 3 large eggs
â—¦ 10 ounces baby spinach
â—¦ 8 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
â—¦ 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
â—¦ 1 small, thinly sliced red onion
â—¦ 1½ cups halved cherry tomatoes



Recipe

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give off their juices and are lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the oil, the lemon juice, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

To hard-boil the eggs, place them in a saucepan just large enough to hold them. Add cold water to cover by 1 inch and bring just to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel and coarsely chop the eggs.

Put the spinach in a large bowl. Chop the bacon. In a large frying pan, fry the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp and browned, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan.

Off the heat, whisk the vinegar and mustard into the fat in the pan, then whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle over the spinach. Toss to coat well.

Divide the dressed spinach among individual plates, top with the onion slices, tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, and chopped eggs. Sprinkle with the chopped bacon and serve at once.



Makes 6 to 8 servings