Wedge Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese



Wedge Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese

 I’d never had this salad until we ran in to the Capitol Grill in downtown Washington D.C. for dinner one night.  Where have I been, right?  Move over spinach and leafy greens...It's the new "it salad" at our house!  The kids are loving it!  This salad is so crisp and refreshing and makes a great light meal.  The homemade dressing is packed with flavor and is a must to transform a wedge of iceberg lettuce into an amazing salad.  

1 head ice berg lettuce

16 ounces bacon, sliced into ¼ inch pieces across grain

2 cups cherry or plum tomatoes, cut into halves

1 cup crumbled blue cheese 

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

First, slice bacon across the grain into ¼ inch pieces.  Heat a heavy skillet on medium heat. Break bacon apart and place in hot skillet with 1/2 cup water.  Sauté until crisp.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel.  Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Set aside.  Rinse head on iceberg and pat dry.  Cut in half lengthwise and cut each half into 3-4 wedges.   Place each wedge on individual salad plates.  Drizzle with Blue Cheese Dressing.  Toss tomatoes over wedges and sprinkle crumbled bacon and extra crumbled blue cheese over the top.

     Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

1 ½ cups mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

½ lemon, squeezed

1 cup crumbled blue cheese 

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon coarse salt

 ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper to taste

In bowl of food processor or in blender, whip all ingredients together until smooth.  Immediately drizzle over iceberg wedge and top with bacon and tomatoes or store in airtight container in refrigerator until ready to use. If needed, thin with a little milk.  Dressing may need thinning after refrigeration.