Little Gems with Herb Breadcrumbs, Bacon Vinaigrette and Grated Egg
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS For the vinaigrette:
12 ounces applewood-smoked slab bacon, cut into
1⁄2-inch cubes ½ cup peeled and minced shallots ½ cup sherry vinegar
2tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the herb breadcrumbs:
Half a 1-pound loaf rustic bread
½ cup olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
For the eggs:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 extra-large eggs
For the salad:
4heads Little Gem lettuce (or 2hearts of romaine)
2 large scallions ½ lemon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
For the vinaigrette, adjust the oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bacon on a baking sheet and roast for 16to 20minutes, until the bacon is cooked but not crisp. Rotate the baking sheet from front to back halfway through that time so the bacon cooks evenly. Create a bed of paper towels. Transfer the bacon to the paper towels to drain and cool. Leave oven on. Pour the bacon fat into a small saucepan. Finely chop two-thirds of the bacon (reserve the rest for the salad). Add the chopped bacon and shallots to the saucepan with the bacon fat, and cook over medium heat for 7to 10minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are soft. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice and place a small bowl in the ice. Transfer the bacon and shallot mixture to the bowl, add the vinegar and mustard and whisk for about 1 minute to combine and cool the ingredients. Slowly add the bacon fat and extra-virgin olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify the vinaigrette. Let the vinaigrette rest over the ice for about 10minutes to cool, whisking every few minutes to keep the dressing emulsified. (If it is not cooled over ice, the dressing will separate.)
For the breadcrumbs:
Pull the inside of the bread out of the crust in 1- to 1½-inch chunks. Place on a large baking sheet. (You can snack on the crusts.) Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Spread the bread on the pan and bake for 10 to 12minutes, until golden brown and crispy, stirring and rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through for even browning. Let cool slightly. Transfer croutons to a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until they are fine breadcrumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add chives, tarragon and parsley and stir to combine. Return the breadcrumbs to the baking sheet and bake for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the herbs are brown. Set aside to cool. (You will use 2tablespoons of the breadcrumbs for this salad; store the rest in a covered container at room temperature for as long as 1 week.) To cook the eggs: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and add the salt. (The salt does not penetrate the egg shells and season the eggs; it helps the whites solidify quickly if there is a crack in an egg.) Carefully lower the eggs into the water and reduce the heat so the water is gently simmering. Simmer eggs for 5minutes, turn off heat, and let the eggs sit in the water until the water comes to room temperature. Peel the eggs under a gentle stream of running water.
To prepare the salad:
Remove and discard any unappealing outer leaves from the heads of lettuce. Tear the leaves from the cores, breaking the larger leaves in half, and drop the leaves into a large bowl. Slice the scallions into ¼-inch thick rounds (white and green parts) and add to the bowl. Squeeze the lemon half over the salad, sprinkle with the salt and toss to coat. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and toss, massaging with your hands to coat the lettuce and scallions with the vinaigrette. Add the reserved bacon and toss to combine.
To serve, build the salad in two layers:
Arrange half the lettuce leaves on a large platter or wide-mouth bowl. Grab a handful of the bacon cubes and scallions from the bowl and scatter them evenly over the lettuce leaves. Using a coarse Microplane, grate one egg over the salad and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs. Repeat and serve.
“I’ve never tossed a salad with anything but my hands. That’s really key to a successful salad. You have to make sure that the dressing is evenly distributed and it’s just not going to happen with a pair of tongs.” — NANCY SILVERTON