Chopped Apple & Blue Cheese Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Author Notes

This salad is simple to make, with few ingredients, and tastes delicious. The tartness of the apples is accented well by the crumbled bacon and sharp flavor of the blue cheese. And what better way to top off the salad than with a warm bacon vinaigrette to see us through the cold winter months.*This recipe was inspired by Bobby Flay's chopped apple salad. I used toasted pecans instead of walnuts, developed a warm bacon vinaigrette instead of using his pomegranate dressing and subbed spinach for romaine to give it a more Cobb salad feel. - Table9 —Table9

Test Kitchen Notes

Table9's chopped apple salad is culinary perfection. The warm bacon vinaigrette (flavored with shallot, dijon mustard, honey, and brown sugar) is heavenly— I could happily sip it as an aperitif. Toasted pecans, blue cheese crumbles, bacon bits, apple cubes, and chopped romaine combine beautifully, delivering lots of crunchy crispness and lively, contrasting flavors. Honestly, this is one of the best salads I have eaten anywhere. Enjoy it as a main or first course. (I successfully substituted balsamic for the red wine vinegar.) —AppleAnnie