Last October I flew to France for my dear friend Rachel’s wedding. I was 20 weeks pregnant, and there’s honestly nowhere I would have rather been spending my second trimester. I reveled in eating all the classics: countless buttery croissants (I even took a class and learned how to make them!), steak frites, French onion soup, and escargots. But one of the most memorable dishes I ate on the trip was — wait for it — a starter salad. I know, I know, how could a salad beat out a ham & cheese baguette, but it was actually revelatory and let me tell you why.
At a fancy lunch (my favorite kind), my husband and I were served a simple arugula salad with a warm vinaigrette, and I’m not joking when I say I basically licked the plate clean. There was something so fiercely satisfying about just the temperature of the dressing, gently warmed with rendered bacon fat, shallots, Dijon, and apple cider vinegar, and I spent the rest of the trip thinking about it, and now try to replicate it at home all the time. Swapping out olive for warm bacon fat adds a savory depth of flavor that’s unmatched. And the best part? The warm dressing will lightly wilt the greens.
Here’s how to make it: Sauté bacon in a skillet. Transfer to a plate and crumble for salad, eat a slice plain, or save for another use. Strain the bacon fat through a fine-mesh strainer and wipe out the crispy bits from the skillet with a paper towel. Warm the bacon fat in the skillet (about a 1/4 cup will do), then add shallot and sauté until soft, 2 minutes. Whisk in 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon Dijon and season generously with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined, and everything is warmed through for like 30 seconds and you’re done.
The resulting dressing is so rich and perfect you will find yourself finding excuses to make salad just so you can enjoy it. And it might just make you feel like you’re eating out at a fun restaurant in Paris, too.
Get the recipe: Warm Bacon Dressing