Bitter Greens Warm Bacon (Printable Version)

Mixed bitter greens tossed in warm bacon vinaigrette, enhanced with red onion, eggs, and nuts for a hearty blend.

# Ingredient List:

→ Greens

01 - 4 cups mixed bitter greens (escarole, frisée, dandelion, radicchio, or chicory), torn into bite-size pieces
02 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

→ Bacon Dressing

03 - 6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
04 - 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
05 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
06 - 1 teaspoon honey
07 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
08 - ⅛ teaspoon salt
09 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

→ Garnish (optional)

10 - 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
11 - ¼ cup toasted walnuts or pecans

# Steps:

01 - Rinse and dry the mixed bitter greens thoroughly, then place them in a large salad bowl with the thinly sliced red onion.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp, about 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer bacon pieces to a paper towel–lined plate, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.
03 - Reduce heat to low. Add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, black pepper, and salt to the bacon fat. Whisk to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the skillet bottom.
04 - Slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and warmed through.
05 - Immediately pour the warm dressing over the greens and onions. Add the crisp bacon pieces and toss gently to slightly wilt the greens and coat evenly.
06 - Arrange the salad on serving plates. Garnish with quartered hard-boiled eggs and toasted nuts if desired. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Bitter greens transform into something almost luxurious when heat and bacon fat remind them what they're meant to taste like.
  • The entire dish comes together in thirty minutes, which means you can actually make it on a Tuesday night instead of just thinking about it.
  • Warm salad feels like a small indulgence, like you've discovered a loophole in the rules of what salad is allowed to be.
02 -
  • If you let the dressing cool before pouring it over the greens, it loses its magic—the whole point is that gentle, momentary wilt that happens with heat and happens fast.
  • Keep tasting the dressing before it goes into the salad; bacon fat is already salty, and you don't want the whole thing to tip into oversalted territory.
  • Don't rinse the skillet after you remove the bacon; every brown bit in there is flavor, and it belongs in your dressing.
03 -
  • Thick-cut bacon renders more slowly and stays crispier—it's worth seeking out at the butcher counter instead of settling for standard strips.
  • The magic happens in those first thirty seconds after you pour the hot dressing over the greens; don't overthink the tossing, just let the heat do its quiet work.
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