American🥩 Meat

Ultimate Bacon Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

Name: Ultimate Bacon Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 450 g Regular-sliced bacon; 1 Iceberg lettuce, large head, quartered; 1 Red onion, finely diced and rinsed; 1 Beefsteak tomato, seeded and finely diced; ~½ cup Extra blue cheese crumbles, for topping; ~2 tbsp Fresh chives and picked dill, for garnish; 85 g Buttermilk; 35 g Sour cream; 150 g Mayonnaise (Duke's strongly preferred); 5 g Garlic powder; 5 g Onion powder; 2 g Salt; 35 g Blue cheese, very finely chopped; 8 g Fresh dill, chopped; 8 g Fresh chives, sliced

⏱ 45 min🍽 Serves 4

A recipe that pushes the classic wedge salad to its peak: a homemade herby ranch dressing infused with blue cheese, paired with ultra-crispy bacon, ice-cold crunchy iceberg lettuce, and finely diced tomato and red onion — restaurant-quality results with a simple process.

Adapted from a video by Brian Lagerstrom

Salad Has No Business Being THIS Good

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Regular-sliced bacon450 g
Iceberg lettuce, large head, quartered1
Red onion, finely diced and rinsed1
Beefsteak tomato, seeded and finely diced1
Extra blue cheese crumbles, for topping~½ cupest.
Fresh chives and picked dill, for garnish~2 tbspest.
Buttermilk85 g
Sour cream35 g
Mayonnaise (Duke's strongly preferred)150 g
Garlic powder

Steps

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1
Lay the bacon out flat on a parchment-lined sheet tray, minimizing overlap. Bake at 350°F for about 18–25 minutes until deep reddish-brown and very crispy.
2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to form the base dressing.
3
Stir in the chopped fresh dill and chives to make an herby ranch-style dressing.
4
Finely chop the blue cheese and fold it into the dressing, keeping it a little chunky rather than perfectly smooth, to finish the blue cheese dressing.
5
Remove the bacon and prop up the tray while it cools so the fat drains to one side instead of congealing on the bacon. Once cool, dice into small bits.
6
Refrigerate the dressing to keep it cold. Clean up any wilted outer leaves on the iceberg lettuce, trim about 1.5 inches off the core, then cut the head into quarters.
7
Pull out the inner three to four layers from each wedge to create a pocket for holding toppings, and trim so each wedge sits flat and stable.
8
Place the wedges on a plate, cover with a double layer of damp paper towels, and freeze for about 10–15 minutes to make the lettuce extra crisp and juicy — don't leave it longer than that.
9
Finely dice the red onion and rinse it under cold water in a strainer to mellow its raw sharpness.
10
Dice the tomato finely, scraping away excess seeds and gel-like flesh so the salad doesn't become watery.
11
Blot the baked bacon with paper towel to remove excess fat, then dice it into small pieces, letting some naturally shatter into varied sizes.
12
Take the chilled wedge from the freezer, place it in a bowl, generously coat it with dressing, and use a spoon to work the dressing into the layers.
13
Layer on a generous amount of diced tomato, about half as much diced onion, and a generous amount of bacon, optionally adding a bit more dressing on top for extra hold.
14
Finish with a sprinkle of chopped chives, dill, and blue cheese crumbles on top.
15
Spoon a base of dressing onto the plate, carefully place the loaded wedge on top, and serve.

Ultimate Bacon Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

Ingredients

Steps

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