Name: Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 8 slices thick-cut bacon , halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 (10-ounce) bag curly-leaf spinach , stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces; 1/2 red onion , sliced thin; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1/4 cup cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 3 hard-cooked eggs , peeled and quartered (optional)

Why This Recipe Works

We loved the idea of a wilted spinach salad, but most recipes produce limp, lifeless, overdressed dishes. For a spinach salad recipe worthy of our ideal, we chose to dress mature spinach in a hot vinaigrette. The spinach wilted a bit when doused with the dressing, but didn’t turn to mush like baby spinach. We added heft to our hot bacon dressing recipe with red onion and Dijon mustard, and prepared it in a Dutch oven so we could cook the spinach, covered, with the dressing for a few seconds. This produced a perfect, evenly wilted spinach salad.

Before You Begin

Although most bagged spinach is supposedly washed before bagging, we have often found that some leaves remain gritty. Give the leaves a quick rinse and then dry them in a salad spinner before preparing the recipe.

Instructions

Fry bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper-towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1/4 cup bacon fat. Place spinach in large bowl next to stove.

Return pot to medium-high heat and cook onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Working quickly, add vinegar and mustard and scrape bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Remove pot from heat, add spinach, and cover, allowing spinach to steam until just beginning to wilt, about 15 seconds.

Transfer steamed spinach and hot dressing to empty bowl and toss lightly with tongs. Divide salad among individual plates and garnish with reserved bacon and eggs (if using). Serve.