Mustardy Escarole Salad With Grilled Cheese Croutons

Author Notes

A dinner for when you don’t want to cook dinner. (Is this you tonight? Me too.) Start with your favorite lettuce—or, you know, whatever is in the fridge right now. I love escarole for its bitterish flavor and ruffly, sturdy texture. Kale, baby arugula, radicchio, spinach, butter, or iceberg all work, too. You could even do a mix. Whatever you pick, toss with a mustardy dressing. I always have Dijon in my fridge because it needs little more than a splash of olive oil (for richness) and water (for loosening) to turn into a bomb salad dressing. In this case, it’s the perfect partner-in-crime for grilled cheese croutons. Yes—these are as melty, gooey, and life-affirming as they sound. Find the best bread you can (I like a crusty sourdough or grainy whole-wheat or seeded something-something) and cut it thick. Keep the crusts—they’re big on flavor. If you don’t like or have Muenster, cheddar, provolone, or Monterey-Jack all work, too. Drizzle the outside with olive oil (this is less likely to burn than butter) and season generously with salt and pepper (this creates an A+ crust). After crisping in a skillet, let cool for a couple minutes (this gives the cheese a chance to gather itself), and chop into bite-size hunks. Sprinkle these on top of the salad and, ta-da, dinner is ready. (If you want to bulk things up, you could certainly add some leftover chicken, or a hard-boiled egg, or canned beans, but most nights I don't find this necessary.) Eat immediately, of course, but also on the couch, in front of the fireplace or TV or fireplace on your TV. It’s been a long day. —Emma Laperruque