Post Salad Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash and thoroughly dry the romaine and arugula. Chop romaine into bite-size pieces (about 1-inch strips). Place romaine and arugula in a large salad bowl and toss gently to combine.

Prep apple

Core and thinly slice the apple into half-moons (leave skin on for texture). To prevent browning, toss slices immediately with a small squeeze of lemon if desired (optional).

Slice cucumber and tomatoes

Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the English cucumber into half-moons about 1/4-inch thick. Add apple, tomatoes, and cucumber to the bowl with the greens and toss gently.

Boil eggs

Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let sit 9 minutes for firm-yolk hard-boiled eggs. Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel and quarter. Keep chilled until ready to assemble.

Cook bacon

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) or use a skillet. For oven: arrange bacon slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and bake 12–16 minutes until crisp. For skillet: cook over medium heat until crisp, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels, then crumble or chop into bite-size pieces.

Add blue cheese

Crumble blue cheese and set aside to sprinkle over the salad at assembly.

Toast pumpkin seeds (optional)

In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring frequently, until they begin to pop and are fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Prepare croutons

If using store-bought croutons, set aside. If making quick croutons: toss 1 cup cubed bread with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt, bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8–10 minutes until golden, then cool and use 3/4 cup for the salad.

Make vinaigrette

In a small bowl or jar, combine white balsamic vinegar, minced shallot, minced garlic, Dijon mustard and honey. Whisk to combine. Slowly stream in the extra-virgin olive oil while whisking (or add oil to jar and shake vigorously) until fully emulsified. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Taste and adjust sweetness or seasoning if needed.

Right before serving, drizzle about two-thirds of the vinaigrette over the greens and toss gently to coat evenly (reserve remaining vinaigrette to offer on the side). Arrange quartered hard-boiled eggs around the salad, sprinkle crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, apple slices, crumbled blue cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds and croutons evenly over the top. Finish with an extra grind of black pepper and a light pinch of salt if needed. Serve immediately.