Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

The wedge salad has been around for a long time, earning  its popularity in steakhouses in the 1970s. While a crisp slice of Iceberg lettuce should always have bacon bits and blue cheese crumbles, chefs often add their own special ingredients to set their wedge apart. I top mine with cherry tomatoes and candied pecans. And in addition to blue cheese crumbles, I make a blue cheese dressing. It’s no wonder steak houses sell so many wedge salads since it goes perfectly with a grilled steak, but I think it stands well on its own, especially with a few extra candied pecans.

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Ingredients

Serves 4

Salad:

• 8 ounces smoked bacon, thick sliced, cut up and fried 

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into quarters

• 16 cherry tomatoes, halved

• Kosher salt

• Fresh black pepper

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into half moons

• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

• 1 cup candied pecans (recipe follows)

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 4 ounces crumbled Blue cheese, divided

Candied Pecans:

• 1 cup pecans 

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Process

Blue Cheese Dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and dry mustard until mustard is dissolved. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire, garlic, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add 2 ounces of blue cheese and whisk again. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour. (Keeps for 3 days).

Salad: 

Place lettuce wedges on a platter or individual plates. Dollop dressing on each wedge and top with bacon, tomatoes, pecans, and more blue cheese. Grind fresh pepper and serve immediately.

Candied Pecans: 

In a non-stick skillet spread the sugar and heat pan over medium heat. As soon as sugar starts to melt add the pecans in a single layer over the sugar. As the sugar continues to melt, stir the pecans to coat with sugar and continue stirring until sugar is dissolved and pecans are toasted, pour sugared pecans onto a plate and allow to cool. Break apart.