Author Notes
This tangy side has all your favorites like vine ripe tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, smoky bacon, crunchy radishes and crisp tender beans.
—garlic and zest
Ingredients
- For the salad:
-
4
strips thick cut bacon
-
1 pound
green beans or haricot verts, cut into bite sized pieces
-
1 cup
tomatoes, seeded cut into bite sized pieces
-
1 cup
ciliegine (small mozzarella packed in water), cut in half or 1 cup of diced fresh mozzarella
-
1/2 cup
very thinly sliced assorted radishes
- For the dressing:
-
1/4 cup
minced shallot
-
1 1/2 tablespoons
rendered bacon fat (from cooking the bacon)
-
1 teaspoon
pommery style or whole grain dijon mustard
-
1 1/2 tablespoons
olive oil
-
1 1/2 tablespoons
red wine vinegar
-
2 tablespoons
freshly chopped parsley
-
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
-
1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
Directions
-
In a medium frying pan, cook the bacon over medium to medium high heat until crispy, flipping several times. Transfer bacon to a small plate covered with paper towels to absorb excess grease. Crumble or chop the bacon. Set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat for the dressing.
-
Create an ice bath in a large bowl (ice and water) and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan (about 6 cups) of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until crisp tender about 2-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the green beans to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. When the beans are cold, drain off the water and pat the beans dry with paper towels. Transfer the beans to a large bowl.
-
Add tomatoes, ciliegine and radishes to the green beans and toss to combine. Set aside.
-
In a small bowl combine the shallot, rendered bacon fat, mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, black pepper and kosher salt. Whisk to combine. Salad can be served chilled or at room temperature -- I prefer room temp, myself.
See what other Food52ers are saying.