Go Back
–+ servings
classic wedge salad with tomato blue cheese and bacon on a grey plate
Pin Print

Classic Wedge Salad

By Brian Lagerstrom
My wedge salad recipe uses a few key upgrades to take this humble, underrated salad from a forgotten menu item to an S-tier must-make dish.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Save this recipe!
Get this recipe sent to your inbox.

Ingredients 

  • 85 g buttermilk
  • 35 g sour cream
  • 150 g mayonnaise, Duke's if you can find it
  • 5 g garlic powder
  • 5 g onion powder
  • 2 g salt
  • 35 g bleu cheese, Point Reyes brand if you can find it
  • 8 g fresh dill, chopped
  • 8 g fresh chives, sliced

For the Salad

  • 450 g bacon, regular/thin cut
  • 1 large iceberg lettuce
  • 1 red onion, diced and rinsed
  • 1 small tomato, diced, seeds removed
  • extra bleu cheese crumbles, for topping
  • extra fresh chives dill, for garnish
Metric - US Customary

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Lay bacon strips on a parchment-lined sheet tray and bake 18–20 minutes until deeply brown and stiff. Prop one end of the tray to drain fat. Cool completely and dice.
  • To make the dressing, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Finely chop bleu cheese, chop dill and chives and fold in. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
  • Quarter the iceberg head, remove the core, and strip the inner 3 layers to create a flat valley in each wedge. Cover with a double layer of damp paper towel and freeze for 10 minutes.
  • Finely dice and rinse the red onion. Seed and small dice the tomato.
  • Place a chilled wedge in a bowl and sauce generously with dressing. Layer on diced tomatoes, bacon, red onion, additional dressing, chives, dill, and additional bleu cheese.
  • To plate, spoon dressing on serving plate, set wedge on top.

Notes

  • Adding grilled chicken, sliced seared steak, or blackened shrimp all work great to make this salad a full meal. Add the protein last, leaning against the wedge, so it doesn't crush the structure. This turns a side into a $24 restaurant entrée.
  • Be sure to add a generous amount of the bleu cheese dressing. A wedge salad is supposed to be a little naughty! You also need this dish to be served ice cold so make sure the lettuce was in the freezer before you dress it. 
iconLike this? Leave a comment below!