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Wedge Salad

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on April 30, 2013

Time

25 minutes, plus 20 minutes pickling

Yield

Serves 6

Wedge Salad

Ingredients

4 slices bacon 1 large shallot, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rings¼ cup red wine vinegar 4 ounces Stilton blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)⅓ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream 3 tablespoons milk 1 garlic clove, minced¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 head iceberg lettuce (9 ounces), cored and cut into 6 wedges12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

Before You Begin

The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week. This salad is best when the iceberg wedges are cold.

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Combine shallot and vinegar in bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Using fork, remove shallot from vinegar; reserve shallot and 2 tablespoons vinegar. Whisk 3 ounces blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, reserved vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper together in bowl until combined.
  3. Arrange lettuce wedges on ­platter and top with dressing, reserved shallot, and tomatoes. Crumble bacon over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 ounce blue cheese. Serve.
Wedge Salad

Wedge Salad

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

25 minutes, plus 20 minutes pickling

Yield

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1 large shallot, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rings
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 ounces Stilton blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
⅓ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons milk
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce (9 ounces), cored and cut into 6 wedges
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1 large shallot, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rings
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 ounces Stilton blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
⅓ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons milk
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce (9 ounces), cored and cut into 6 wedges
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1 large shallot, sliced into ⅛-inch-thick rings
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 ounces Stilton blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
⅓ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons milk
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce (9 ounces), cored and cut into 6 wedges
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

Why This Recipe Works

We use a quality blue cheese—English Stilton—to make the rich dressing the star of this salad. Mayo and sour cream add tang and creaminess, red wine vinegar brightens it up, and a splash of milk smoothes it out to the perfect consistency—all the better to coat a crunchy wedge of iceberg. Tests proved that raw onion overpowered even our robust dressing, but shallots soaked in vinegar (which we then used in the dressing) provided a mellower onion flavor.

Before You Begin

The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week. This salad is best when the iceberg wedges are cold.

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Combine shallot and vinegar in bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Using fork, remove shallot from vinegar; reserve shallot and 2 tablespoons vinegar. Whisk 3 ounces blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, reserved vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper together in bowl until combined.
  3. Arrange lettuce wedges on ­platter and top with dressing, reserved shallot, and tomatoes. Crumble bacon over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 ounce blue cheese. Serve.

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Appears In

Magazine

August / September 2012

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Equipment

All-Purpose Whisks

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