Author Notes
This salad relies on three simple, but absolutely delicious elements: tender endive, warm slab bacon, and creamy buttermilk ranch dressing. I like to finish things off with excessive amounts of black pepper, but that part's up to you. —Elizabeth Stark
Ingredients
- For the buttermilk ranch dressing:
-
1/4 cup
mayonnaise
-
2 tablespoons
sour cream
-
1 teaspoon
minced shallot
-
1
clove garlic, crushed and minced
-
1 teaspoon
lemon zest
-
1/4 teaspoon
mustard powder
-
1/2 cup
buttermilk, shaken vigorously
-
1 to 2 tablespoons
lemon juice
-
1 splash
sherry vinegar
-
2 tablespoons
minced parsley, plus more for garnish
-
2 teaspoons
minced chives, plus more for garnish
-
1 teaspoon
thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
-
ground black pepper to taste
- For the salad:
-
1/4 pound
thick-cut bacon
-
6
Belgian endives
-
sea salt, to taste
-
ground black pepper, to taste
-
1 teaspoon
minced fresh herbs
Directions
-
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in shallot, garlic, lemon zest, and mustard powder. Slowly whisk in buttermilk. Next, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (until dressing reaches desired thickness) and the sherry vinegar. Finally, fold in herbs and black pepper. Cover bowl and set dressing in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes, but preferably overnight. Recipe makes approximately 1 cup.
-
To prepare the salad, cook bacon over medium heat until edges have crisped. Briefly cool on a plate lined with paper towels, and then chop.
-
Core endives, remove leaves, and cut into diagonal 1/2-inch strips.
-
Set chopped endive in a serving bowl, drizzle with ranch dressing, and toss gently. Scatter bacon and spoon on a bit more dressing. Finish with a pinch each of sea salt and black pepper and a sprinkle of minced herbs. Serve immediately.
Elizabeth Stark, along with her husband Brian Campbell, chronicles her passion for simple, fresh recipes on the award-wining food blog Brooklyn Supper.
See what other Food52ers are saying.