Big Country Salad

By Sam Sifton

Published April 17, 2010

  • Lars Klove for The New York Times. Food stylist: Molly Rundberg.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(313)
Comments
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Here is a salad to evoke late-night meals at the restaurant Odeon, in downtown Manhattan, in the era of “Bright Lights, Big City.” There the country salad is somewhat smaller, and serves as a fine introduction to a plate of steak frites. But made larger, and piled high on a plate, it makes for a delicious dinner best accompanied by a glass of slightly chilled red wine. Need more protein? Put an egg on it!

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ¼ pound slab bacon, cut into 1-inch-long lardons

  • ½ cup fresh bread crumbs

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¼ cup good-quality blue cheese, crumbled

  • Kosher salt

  • freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 head romaine lettuce

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

9 grams carbs; 25 milligrams cholesterol; 345 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 537 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Fry the bacon over medium heat until almost crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve a splash of bacon fat.

  2. Step 2

    Return bacon pan to heat and add the bread crumbs, tossing until just golden. Remove from pan and reserve.

  3. Step 3

    Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and mustard in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and reserved bacon fat until dressing emulsifies. Add a tablespoon of blue cheese and whisk again. Season to taste.

  4. Step 4

    Roughly chop the lettuce and put in a salad bowl. Add bread crumbs and remaining cheese, then the dressing. Toss to mix. Serve immediately.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
313 user ratings
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Comments

NT

What might be the best substitute for the blue cheese - have a couple of haters here? Thanks, nt

Mary

Call me crazy if you wish. I just had this wonderful salad for breakfast and only left out the breadcrumbs.

Lisa

The bacon and remaining cheese is added in step 4. The recipe is written in a shorthand; because the bacon is mixed with the breadcrumbs in step 2, then when the breadcrumbs are added in step 4, by necessity the bacon is also added. :-)

Jan Sheridan

We really enjoyed this salad, and agree with others - this would be really good to serve to guests. I followed the recipe to a T but next time I might add 1/4 tsp of sugar to the dressing to counter the acidity. Also, per other comments, I might also add grape tomatoes for extra color, flavor and texture.

Stephanie in Davis

Made it exactly as written. Family liked it.

mmerlino

So great! But I think directions are kinda backwards. Made dressing, assembled greens, tomatoes, and cheese. THEN cooked bacon and then bread in drippings (plus garlic and a bit of olive oil). And I did small bread croutons not crumbs.

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