Warm Bacon and Mushroom Salad

Becky and I like to have a salad with just about every dinner. But with a distinct chill in the air, there are nights when a warm salad is much preferred over a cold one.. This is one our favorite cold weather salads and the two main ingredients, bacon and mushrooms, add comforting warmth and blockbuster flavors to the salad.

I want you to be sure and secure the right kind of bacon. We will have two requirements. First, you want thick-sliced bacon. You need some substance to partner with roasted mushrooms. Skinny bacon is out. And skip hickory smoked. You want applewood smoked bacon...unique for its complex and sophisticated combination of flavors. 

1.  

Next up on our favorite foods list are oven-roasted Cremini mushrooms. A brief flash of high heat will shrink these babies down, concentrating the incredible umami taste into little chewable celebrations of joy. Your palate will be delighted at the fusion of applewood bacon and roasted mushrooms. But wait.....there's more....

To complete the trifecta, we are going to add our very favorite lettuce....arugula. It has a spicy, peppery taste that sits in stark contrast to the bacon and mushrooms. All the salad needs now is a little dressing with lemon, cider vinegar, bacon fat...and a generous helping of goat cheese.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Cremini mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced thick

1/2 cup olive oil

Kosher salt

1/2 pound thick-sliced applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2" strips

1 small sweet yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

6 ounces arugula

3/4 cup walnuts

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425º F.
2. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms with olive oil. Spread the mushrooms on a sheet pan, salt lightly and roast for 35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until crisp and golden. 
3. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Strain the fat into a heatproof bowl and return half of it to the skillet. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer until all of the liquid is reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice and add the remaining bacon fat.
4. In a large bowl, combine the greens with the vinaigrette, mushrooms and walnuts, then toss. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. Sprinkle with the bacon and goat cheese and serve.

Pairing: Pinot Noir