Continuing with the theme of National Soup Month, I have another salad to pair with a lovely, hot bowl of soup. With crunchy bacon, creamy hardboiled eggs, and a sweet-and-sour vinaigrette, this recipe for Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing is perfect for a cold day.
To make sure you get lovely hardboiled eggs (and not greenish, sulfury yolks), go easy on your eggs. Put them in a pot of water that covers the eggs by an inch. Bring to a boil – and as soon as it boils, take it off the stove, put a lid on the pot, and set a timer for 14 minutes. When the timer rings, drain off the hot water and cover with ice and cold water. Let the eggs cool, then peel.
I used rice vinegar; but you can try red or white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. This recipe makes two large salads. Try it with soup, stew, chili, or just some bread and butter.
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch very fresh spinach (or a bag of baby spinach) rinsed very well and spun dry
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon (or more, if you like) honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 onion, sliced, or diced, very thin
- 4 hardboiled eggs
Directions:
- Wash and dry the spinach very well. (Gritty sandy spinach is horrible!) Divide into two large bowls and set aside.
- Fry the bacon in a large pan until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Measure out 1/4 cup of the bacon fat, discard any leftover, and return the 1/4 cup of fat to the pan.
- Heat the bacon fat, and with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula, stir in the vinegar, mustard, and honey. Add the onion and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Peel and quarter the eggs and divide between the two salad bowls. Crumble the bacon and add to the spinach. Pour the hot dressing over the spinach and toss. Season with fresh cracked pepper, if desired, and serve warm.
Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana
To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!
