I have a confession to make.
For as long as I can remember, I have turned my nose up to the wedge salad. It was my father’s favorite salad and my mother and I both knew that it was devoid of any vitamins or nutrients. Strangely enough, David also happens to be a wedge lover and I have always given him a hard time about his affection for this pathetic excuse of a salad.
As I have gotten older and wiser, however, I have changed my mind about this plebeian starter. Maybe it’s not so bad after all?
After a recent visit to The Palm with family for a belated celebration of David’s birthday, my cousins ordered the wedge to share. Whatever, I shrugged, not giving it a second thought since we were having so much fun catching up. But when this particular wedge arrived at the table, I immediately noticed this was not the wedge my father used to eat in the 70’s and 80’s.
In fact, this wedge was entirely different. More like a thick steak of iceberg lettuce, it was topped with crumbled bacon, cherry tomato halves, toasted walnuts, blue cheese crumbles and chives and topped with a generous handful of crisp fried tobacco onions, this is a grown-up wedge.
This is an actual picture of “the wedge” from The Palm’s website |
It was big enough for the table to share, and so we did. I had a few bites and remember turning to David and said, “We’re coming back for the wedge.” He smiled happily and knew I had finally come to love the wedge, just like he did.
No longer was it merely just a vehicle for salad dressing, the wedge was now something I could relate to. In fact, I thought about this wedge a lot.
Recently, when David wasn’t feeling well, I went to Whole Foods to get him a quick lunch of soup and something else innocuous but tasty. I ran into a friend who had a wedge on his salad plate and I knew David needed one. Or perhaps I did and so I brought home a wedge.
David’s eyes danced at the sight and he knew I was now a team player. Everyone in favor of the wedge, say “yes.”
I’ve been saying yes a lot lately and I hope you, too, will join our team.
Buen provecho!
Wedge Salad
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon nitrate-free and low-sodium
- 1 large shallot diced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise preferably homemade
- 1/4 cup sour cream organic
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup blue cheese crumbles plus a little more for garnish
- 1 head iceberg organic, cored and cut into 6 wedges
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- Lars crispy onions for garnish (I found these at Whole Foods)
Instructions
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Cook bacon in a 10-inch skillet until crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside until plating the salad.
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In a bowl, combine shallot with red wine vinegar and let sit for 20 minutes.
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To this, add mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, garlic, salt and pepper and the crumbled blue cheese. Stir thoroughly until well combined and liquid is evenly distributed.
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Arrange lettuce wedges on a platter or on individual plates and top with dressing and tomatoes. Crumble bacon over top and sprinkle with a handful of blue cheese crumbles. Top with a handful of crispy onions.
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Serve with a fork and steak knife and enjoy the silence. (No one will talk because this salad is mind-blowingly fabulous.)
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Store any remaining salad dressing in the refrigerator for future wedges. Because there will be...
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