Crunchy Iceberg Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese

 

I don’t know about the rest of you, but Ina has never let me down. Even with something as simple as the iconic wedge salad, Ina did it one better by slicing iceberg lettuce into “steaks,” as it were, in order to stretch further than the traditional wedge, make it heaps easier to eat, and a lot prettier. Here is her recipe, unadorned because it’s perfect as it is. The recipe is from her book Make It Ahead. The radishes in the picture I grew myself. I am most proud.

Crunchy Iceberg Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese

For the Dressing:

4 oz. Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled

⅔ c. good mayonnaise

⅓ c. plain Greek yogurt

1 T. sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

4 tender inside celery stalks, trimmed & sliced crosswise ¼”
6 radishes, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

5 scallions, trimmed, white & green parts sliced ¼”

1 large head iceberg lettuce, wilted outer leaves removed

4 - 6 oz. Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled

Fleur de sel

For the dressing, place 4 oz. of blue cheese in a small bowl and microwave for 15 seconds, until it begins to melt. Place the mayonnaise, yogurt, warm blue cheese, sherry vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.

 For the salad, combine the celery, radishes, and scallions in a bowl. Slice the whole head of lettuce across to make four ¾-inch-thick round disks and place each on a dinner plate. Spoon the dressing on the lettuce and sprinkle on a quarter of the vegetable mixture. Distribute the remaining crumbled blue cheese on the salads, sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper, and serve.

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Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

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If you were on planet earth back in the 70s, then you are familiar with the wedge salad. True to its name, the wedge salad is little more than a wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with blue cheese salad dressing, and the extras of your choice. When all of that foo foo lettuce came into vogue in the 80s, the wedge salad fell into disfavor. Not with me. I liked it then and I liked it now. You can’t argue the ease in putting one of these together, but I also love the cold, crunchy lettuce, the smoky crumbled bacon, the fresh chopped tomatoes, and that magnificent dressing.

Happily, I’m not alone. Four-time world barbecue champion Myron Mixon, known for his best-selling barbecue books (BBQ&A with Myron Mixon, Myron Mixon’s BBQ Rules, Everyday Barbecue, and Smokin’ with Myron Mixon), recently came out with Keto BBQ, Real Barbecue for a Healthy Lifestyle, a new book published by Abrams in which he details how he lost 100 pounds while still enjoying barbecue. But, as he tells us, it’s not just about the barbecue, it’s also about the sides. The wedge salad is one of them. His contention is that the wedge salad’s main function is to deliver blue cheese and bacon to your belly. He’s not wrong, topped with his fabulous blue cheese dressing, it's a wedge at its best. I have made a lot of blue cheese salad dressing in my time, but this is unbeatable. Try it, and wax nostalgic with a wedge salad. Or, if you must, toss it with some foo foo lettuce and enjoy it that way as well.

 Blue Cheese Dressing

1 c. crumbled blue cheese
2/3 c. full fat sour cream
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 t. garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional: two scallions, white and light green parts only, minced, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (I added both of these.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. This dressing can be refrigerated in a jar or other container with a lid and stored for up to five days.

Makes about 2 cups.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary copy of Keto Barbecue from Abrams Books as a member of Abrams Dinner Party.