Wedge Salad Recipe

Prepare lettuces

Remove any wilted outer leaves from the baby iceberg heads. Working with one head at a time, trim a thin slice from the stem end so it sits flat, then quarter each head lengthwise to create wedges. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels and chill while you prepare other components (about 10 minutes).

Prepare onion and tomatoes

Peel the sweet red onion and cut into very thin half-moons. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Keep these chilled until plating.

Crumble the Danish bleu cheese into small pieces; set aside. Combine the grated pecorino and grated Parmesan in a small bowl and set aside for finishing.

Cut the slab bacon into lardons (approximately 1/4" thick by 1" long). Heat a large skillet over medium heat. If the bacon is very lean, add 1 teaspoon neutral oil; otherwise skillet should be slicked by bacon fat. Add the lardons in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are crisp and deep golden, about 8–10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon lardons to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve 1–2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat for tossing croutons (optional) or discard excess. Keep warm or reheat briefly before serving.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Toss the sourdough cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until evenly coated. If you reserved bacon fat, replace up to half the olive oil with bacon fat for extra flavor.

Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, 10–14 minutes, shaking the pan halfway. Remove and cool on the sheet; the croutons will crisp further as they cool.

If using bottled dressings, whisk the bleu cheese dressing to loosen it. If you prefer to blend dressings, mix the bleu cheese dressing and spicy Caesar dressing together 2:1 (bleu:Caesar) in a small bowl for a balanced flavor; taste and adjust amount to preference.

To plate: place one lettuce wedge on each of four chilled plates. Spoon 3/4 tablespoon of bleu cheese dressing over each wedge, letting some run between the leaves. Drizzle a light stream (about 1/2 tablespoon) of spicy Caesar dressing over each wedge in a thin line for a contrasting spicy note.

Scatter 4 tablespoons crumbled Danish bleu cheese over the wedges (about 1 tablespoon per wedge), followed by the red onion half-moons (use roughly 2–3 slices per wedge) and 4 halved cherry tomatoes per wedge. Distribute the warm bacon lardons evenly among the wedges (about 1.5 tablespoons per wedge).

Finish each wedge with a small handful of sourdough croutons (about 3–4 croutons), and a light dusting of the pecorino/Parmesan mixture (about 1/2 tablespoon per wedge). If desired, grind a bit of black pepper over the top and add a small pinch of flaky sea salt to taste.

Serve immediately while bacon and croutons are warm so contrasts in temperature and texture are preserved.