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Cook the Book: Wilted Spinach and Avocado Salad With Warm Bacon Dressing

Posted by Adam Kuban, December 12, 2007 at 1:30 PM

You've probably had a salad with bacon bits at some point in your life. But why not go all in with this Wilted Spinach and Avocado Salad With Warm Bacon Dressing? It's from this week's Cook the Book, The Bacon Cookbook.

James Villas, the book's author, isn't too picky about the bacon used for this salad but does recommend using a young, crisp baby spinach.

Wilted Spinach and Avocado Salad With Warm Bacon Dressing

- serves 4 -

Ingredients

1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound fresh spinach, stemmed, rinsed, and patted dry
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
8 thick slices lean streaky bacon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

Procedure

1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and mustard, and whisk until well blended. Add the sugar, garlic, and salt and pepper; stir well and set aside.

2. In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, avocado, and onion; set aside.

3. In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, and crumble coarsely. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons grease from skillet, add the oil plus the vinegar-mustard mixture, and stir until dressing is hot. Pour dressing over spinach mixture and toss well. Add the bacon and eggs, toss well again, and taste for seasoning. Serve salad immediately.

1 Comment | Tags: avocados, bacon, cookbooks, James Villas, salads, spinach