Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese & Bacon

 

They had the most beautiful heads of iceberg lettuce at the grocery store the other day and for a good price as well. I think iceberg lettuce gets a bad rap a lot of the time. It often gets overlooked in favor of the fancier and more colorful lettuces and greens.

My mother would only ever eat iceberg lettuce.  If you tried to give her a salad made from anything else, she would turn up her nose at it.  She just wasn't having it.

I do like to use fancier lettuces sometimes, but when it comes to a salad like the one I am sharing today, you cannot beat a lovely firm head of iceberg lettuce. It has a beautiful crispness that holds its shape and a nice mild flavor that won't go into battle with the punchy dressing.

 

Iceberg is a lettuce that allows other flavors to shine, and yet at the same time it holds its own. You cannot beat its fresh crisp texture.  When I am having a burger I want iceberg lettuce on it, not something flimsy that wilts at the merest touch of heat.  

And when I am having a salad such as this one, only iceberg will do. 

This is a beautiful, well flavored salad.  Wonderfully classic and retro. It stands beautifully all on its own or as an accompaniment to steaks, burgers, chicken or fish. 

Not a fan of blue cheese?  I have a rich and creamy Chive & Cheddar Dressing here that would also work beautifully!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ICEBERG WEDGE SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE & BACON 

It is really only a very few simple and ordinary ingredients, but they are put together in a very simple and delicious way!

For the Blue Cheese Dressing:

• 2 TBS Danish blue cheese
• 1 TBS quality full fat mayonnaise
• 6 TBS (45g) dairy sour cream
• 3 TBS buttermilk
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 1 half of a small compact head of iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into two thick wedges
• 4 ounces (100g) pancetta, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 TBS finely minced chives
• 2 TBS crumbled Danish blue cheese
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Danish Blue Cheese is one of the milder of the blue cheeses. If you are wanting a much punchier flavor, you can replace the Danish Blue Cheese with Roquefort cheese.  That will clear your nostrils, lol.

I used full fat everything here.  This will give you the richest and most delicious flavors and textures.  If you cannot find buttermilk you can make a great substitute by whisking together equal parts of full fat milk and plain yogurt.

Make sure your lettuce is nice and fresh.  Choose a head of iceberg lettuce with dark green intact outer leaves. It should be nice and compact for this recipe. You want it to feel heavy for its size.  

The stem end should smell sweet and not musty or bitter.  Avoid heads of iceberg that are overly large as their leaves may be tough and fibrous and not as crisp as the smaller ones.  If it is crisp and firm with fresh looking leaves and you have a great head of lettuce!

I bought my pancetta already diced at the deli-counter of the grocery store. It was a good Italian pancetta.  Lovely.

 

HOW TO MAKE AN ICEBERG WEDGE SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE & BACON

It's really not all that hard and is very quick to make.  The dressing goes together simply and easily with just a few simple ingredients.

First cook the pancetta. Place it into a cold dry skillet. Fry over medium heat, stirring it once or twice, until it is crisp and golden brown on all sides. Scoop out to some paper kitchen towels to drain.

Measure the blue cheese for the dressing into a small bowl. Mash it together until smooth with the mayonnaise. It should be a paste, well blended, without too many lumps.

Whisk in the sour cream, buttermilk and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Remove the core from the lettuce, wash, dry and then cut into two wedges. Divide amongst two chilled plates.

 

Divide the dressing between the two servings evenly, drizzling it over top.

Scatter the cooked pancetta, crumbled blue cheese and minced chives over top and serve immediately with a sprinkle of freshly grated black pepper. Delicious!

Notes

If desired, you can sprinkle with crisp buttery croutons rather than the pancetta or even toasted and chopped pecan nuts.

 

 A SALAD FOR ALL SEASONS

Conventionally summer has been seen as the season for salads and why not.  The temperatures are hot, maybe even sweltering, and fresh produce is readily available. We all crave eating lighter.

I'll let you in on a little secret however, Salad Season can be every season!  Especially if you know how to build a great salad.  I wrote a great article several years ago on how to build a great salad. You can find that here.  It is loaded with tips and ideas on how to make a great salad any time of the year!

 

This was excellent.  A delicious classic with a lovely punchy dressing. I enjoyed the saltiness of the pancetta along with the creamy blue cheese dressing.  I think some croutons would also go down very nicely on top.  

I enjoyed this as a simple lunch.  It was very simple to make as well as being rich and delicious! I highly recommend. You can simply double everything if you want to feed four people.

 

I love to enjoy a good salad during the summer months. I can make a meal of any salad. It's true!  Here are a few other favorites of mine!  I do love Iceberg Lettuce. It has a lovely crisp and crunchy texture.

 

CHEDDAR DRESSED LETTUCE STEAKS - This is a beautiful presentation for what is essentially a slice/slab of iceberg lettuce. It boasts a delicious cheddar cheese dressing and oodles of toppings. Minced cucumbers and red onions. Chopped sweet tomatoes.  Crumbled smoky bacon and a smattering of snipped chives.  I decorate it with some radish roses to really dress it up. We eat first with our eyes do we not?

LAYERED COBB SALAD - This is a salad that I used to make often for the ladies that lunched at the Manor when I worked there.  The Mrs. loved anything that was stacked and this was a favorite with layers of iceberg lettuce, creamy avocado, diced tomatoes, sharp spring onions, crumbled blue cheese, a rich and creamy dressing and then some smoky bacon crumbled over top.  Again, very pretty to look at!  Not a fan of blue cheese?  Why not use a rich cheddar!

Yield: Serves 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Iceberg Wedge with Blue Cheese & Bacon

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

This is a beautiful salad with crisp iceberg lettuce and is wonderfully retro. It goes great with steaks or burgers and stands on its own as a lush lunch.

Ingredients

For the Blue Cheese Dressing:

• 2 TBS Danish blue cheese
• 1 TBS quality full fat mayonnaise
• 6 TBS (45g) dairy sour cream
• 3 TBS buttermilk
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 1 half of a small compact head of iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into two thick wedges
• 4 ounces (100g) pancetta, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 TBS finely minced chives
• 2 TBS crumbled Danish blue cheese
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. First cook the pancetta. Place it into a cold dry skillet. Fry over medium heat, stirring it once or twice, until it is crisp and golden brown on all sides. Scoop out to some paper kitchen towels to drain.
2. Measure the blue cheese for the dressing into a small bowl. Mash it together until smooth with the mayonnaise. It should be a paste, well blended, without too many lumps.
3. Whisk in the sour cream, buttermilk and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
4. Remove the core from the lettuce, wash, dry and then cut into two wedges. Divide amongst two chilled plates.
5. Divide the dressing between the two servings evenly, drizzling it over top.
6. Scatter the cooked pancetta, crumbled blue cheese and minced chives over top and serve immediately with a sprinkle of freshly grated black pepper. Delicious!

Notes

If desired, you can sprinkle with crisp buttery croutons rather than the pancetta or even toasted and chopped pecan nuts.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.  

  

Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

 If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.