Salade du Boeuf Bacon et Tomate
This salad is quick to make and tastes especially delicious at the end of summer when the first tomatoes are just starting to come in from the garden. In the summer at Townsend the kitchen is too hot to use ovens so kitchen uses up left overs in salads. Belted Galloway beef and large black pork make especially great left overs.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Salad:
½ – ¾ lb smoked pasture raised pork bacon
1 lb left over pasture-raised grass fed steak or roast, sliced thinly
1 large onion, cut in ½ and sliced in thin wedges
2 large tomatoes cut in thin wedges
2 red bell peppers, sliced thickly
1 avocado (optional) sliced thickly
4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 small head Butter or Iceberg lettuce, cut or torn into bite sized pieces
4 handfuls baby mixed greens
½ loaf Italian or French bread, cubed in 1” cubes
6 tbsp butter, divided
Dressing:
¾ c mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp reserved bacon drippings
Directions:
Mix together reserved bacon drippings with garlic and vinegar till smooth add into mayonnaise and mix till well blended, adjusting seasoning to taste. Add in salt if needed and freshly cracked black pepper.
In a frying pan cook bacon till tender –crisp. Remove from heat remove bacon from pan & chop in bite-sized pieces. Reserve 4 Tbsp bacon drippings in a separate bowl.
Cut up bread into 1” cubes. In same bacon frying pan add 2 Tbsp butter and melt over med-high heat, put in bread cubes and toss to coat in bacon and butter sauté till golden brown. Set aside croutons.
In frying pan add remaining 4 tbsp butter and onions and beef slices sauté till tender but do not brown. Add in peppers and continue to sauté till softened, remove from heat & set aside.
In a large bowl toss mixed baby greens and torn head lettuce evenly and mound on individual plates. Evenly divide dressing over each lettuce mixture. Top each salad with sautéed mixture, evenly place tomato wedges and avocado wedges (if using) on each salad. Sprinkle goat cheese and chopped bacon evenly over each salad as well as croutons.
Serve.