Baby Iceberg Stacked With Creamy Shaft’s Blue Cheese Recipe
thick-cut bacon lardon, and sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes, the ultimate BLT-inspired wedge.
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Ingredients
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Salad
Creamy Shaft’s Blue Cheese Dressing
Finishing
Method
Creamy Shaft’s Blue Cheese Dressing
- 1
Make the dressing
In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, grated garlic, salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Whisk until smooth and homogenous.
- 2
Incorporate the blue cheese
Fold in 2.5 oz of the crumbled Shaft’s blue cheese, breaking some pieces with the back of a spoon so the dressing remains creamy but has small blue-cheese pockets. Taste and adjust seasoning — add up to 1/4 tsp more salt or a splash more buttermilk if you prefer a looser consistency. Chill for at least 20 minutes to let flavors marry.
Salad
- 3
Prepare the baby iceberg
Remove any loose outer leaves from the baby iceberg heads. Using a sharp knife, slice each baby iceberg head into quarters through the core so you have 4 wedges per head (recipe assumes 4 wedges total). Pat the wedges dry with paper towels so dressing adheres well.
- 4
Cook bacon lardons
Place a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add the thick-cut bacon lardons in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Render the fat and cook until they are deeply browned and crisp on the edges, about 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer lardons to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and reserve 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat in the pan.
- 5
Warm tomatoes briefly (optional)
Add the halved heirloom cherry tomatoes to the skillet with the reserved bacon fat and warm them over medium-high heat for 60–90 seconds, just until they blister lightly and release some juices. This step deepens tomato flavor but can be skipped for raw, fresh tomatoes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Assembly & Finishing
- 6
Dress the wedges
Place each baby iceberg wedge on an individual plate or on a shared platter. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chilled creamy Shaft’s blue cheese dressing over each wedge, spreading lightly so some dressing runs into the leaves but the wedge remains mostly intact.
- 7
Top with tomatoes and bacon
Evenly scatter the warm or raw heirloom cherry tomato halves across the wedges. Sprinkle the crispy bacon lardons over the top so every wedge gets an even portion (about 2 slices’ worth per wedge).
- 8