The Blues Salad Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash the romaine and radicchio thoroughly. Dry completely (use a salad spinner). Chop romaine into 1-inch ribbons and thinly slice radicchio. Place both in a large mixing bowl and refrigerate until assembly.

Make tomato concassé

Score a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 20–30 seconds until skins loosen, then transfer to an ice bath. Peel off skins, remove seeds with your fingers, and finely dice the tomato flesh. Season diced tomatoes with a pinch (about 1/8 tsp) of salt and set aside in a small bowl.

Cook pork belly lardons

Place the pork belly lardons in a cold skillet (no oil). Turn heat to medium and render fat slowly, stirring occasionally, 8–12 minutes, until lardons are golden brown and crisp on edges. Remove lardons with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving the rendered fat in the skillet. While still hot, season lardons with about 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. If you prefer less fat on the salad, blot once more with paper towel.

Finish toppings

Crumble the blue cheese for topping (if not pre-crumbled). Keep about 2 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese for garnish to ensure texture contrast; reserve the rest for the dressing. Lightly drizzle 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil over the greens and toss gently to coat just before dressing to help the dressing cling.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Stir in the 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, lemon juice, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly. For a smoother dressing, mash some of the blue cheese with the back of a spoon or pulse briefly in a blender or food processor — leave some chunks for texture.

Taste and adjust seasoning: add more lemon or vinegar for brightness, more buttermilk to thin (1 tsp at a time), or more salt/pepper as needed. Chill dressing for at least 15 minutes to let flavors meld; stirring again before using.

Place the chilled greens in the large mixing bowl. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the house blue cheese dressing over the greens (start conservatively). Toss gently but thoroughly so leaves are evenly coated.

Scatter the tomato concassé and warm pork belly lardons over the dressed greens. Sprinkle remaining crumbled blue cheese across the top.

Season the assembled salad with the remaining kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed (use sparingly because of salty pork and blue cheese). If desired, drizzle the reserved 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the rendered pork fat or 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil over the top for extra flavor.

Serve immediately onto individual plates or a large platter so warm lardons retain some crispness. Offer additional dressing on the side.