Most salad dressings have a fat and an acid (e.g., Olive oil and vinegar). The king of “fats” is of course, bacon grease. This is a relatively simple salad, but warm dressing is always a nice touch with fresh spinach, and the bacon crumbles and red onion slices bring a cool punch of texture. Makes enough for 4 people.
- 6 pieces bacon (center cut if you prefer)
- Fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
- 4 T shallots, minced
- 1 cup champagne vinegar
- 1 t sugar
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 4 T Olive Oil
- 1 T honey
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
In a medium saucepan, sauté bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and pour out most of the bacon fat, leaving 3-4 T. on medium heat, sauté the shallots in the bacon grease for 2 minutes, then pour in champagne vinegar. Add sugar, Dijon, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper, stirring to incorporate. Bring to boil and reduce slightly. Pour over spinach while hot, top with crumbled bacon and red onion slices.
