Author Notes
My husband and I love bacon-wrapped dates, but I admit they do not make a particularly balanced dinner on their own. Plus, I'm a strong believer in eating something green with dinner every night. So I came up with this warm spinach salad variation--the bacon and dates are there, with creamy goat cheese, and an orange and sherry vinegar-laced dressing that pulls it all together. —atxdori
Ingredients
- For the salad
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1 bunch
good curly spinach leaves, cleaned and dried
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2 ounces
fresh goat cheese
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4 pieces
thick-cut bacon
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2 handfuls
medjool dates, pits removed and roughly chopped
- For the dressing
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2 tablespoons
rendered bacon fat
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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2 tablespoons
freshly-squeezed orange juice (from 1/2 of an orange)
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1 tablespoon
sherry vinegar
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1/4 teaspoon
grated orange zest
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1 teaspoon
dijon mustard
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1 teaspoon
honey
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salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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Cut the bacon into bite-size pieces or lardons and fry in a heavy-bottomed small pan. When crispy, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Turn off heat but reserve 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan.
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In a small bowl, mix together sherry vinegar, mustard, honey, orange juice and orange zest.
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Over medium-low heat, add olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat. Re-warm briefly, then add vinegar and orange mixture to the pan.
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Simmer dressing gently while whisking, until dressing is warm, slightly thickened and emulsified. Salt and pepper to taste.
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In a large bowl, pour dressing over spinach and toss. It should wilt only slightly if you have good hearty spinach. The bagged stuff tends to wilt too much.
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Arrange spinach on plates. Top with big crumbles of fresh goat cheese, crispy bacon, chopped dates and a few grinds of pepper.
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