The Blues Recipe

Prepare and render lardons

Pat pork belly dry and cut into 1/4–1/2 inch lardons. Season lightly with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add the pork belly pieces. If the pork is very lean, add 1 tsp neutral oil to start; otherwise the pork will render its own fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fat has rendered and edges are crisp and golden, 10–14 minutes. Reduce heat if browning too quickly. Transfer lardons to a paper towel–lined plate to drain and reserve 1–2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan (or discard and wipe clean if preferred).

Let lardons cool slightly; they will crisp further as they rest. Keep warm until assembly.

Make the dressing

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Whisk in 2 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and the grated garlic clove. Stir in 3 oz crumbled blue cheese, reserving about 1 tablespoon for garnish. Season with 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste (start with 1/4 tsp). Whisk until mostly smooth but still slightly chunky from the cheese. Taste and adjust acidity or salt as needed. If you prefer a thinner dressing, whisk in additional buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time to desired consistency. Chill at least 15 minutes to let flavors meld.

Prep greens and tomato concassé

Wash and spin-dry the romaine leaves until very dry. Tear into bite-size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Thinly slice the radicchio and add to the bowl. If you do not already have tomato concassé prepared: blanch ripe tomatoes in boiling water for 20–30 seconds, shock in ice water, peel, core and seed them, then dice to measure 1 cup.

Toss and plate

Add 3 oz crumbled blue cheese (for tossing) and the warm pork belly lardons to the bowl with the greens and radicchio. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the house blue cheese dressing over the salad (reserve extra for service). Toss gently but thoroughly to coat leaves, radicchio, tomato concassé and lardons evenly—use tongs or salad spoons. Adjust dressing amount to taste; you may not need all the dressing. Mound salad on a large platter or divide among 4 plates. Sprinkle the reserved tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese on top, add chopped parsley if using, and finish with a crack of black pepper.

Serve immediately while pork lardons are warm. Provide extra dressing on the side.