Eight ingredients, plus pantry staples. That's all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you've got a feast for family or friends.
This has been the summer of the steakhouse, with splashy, celebrity-backed openings across the country. While the porterhouses and ribeyes are the centerpieces, at a great steak house, the salads and sides are just as crucial to the success of a meal. I’m a big fan of chop house–style, “knife-and-fork salads”—hearty salads that are satisfying to cut into and treat almost like a big steak. A classic wedge salad comes to mind, but what about something lighter and herby to enjoy with a crisp Chardonnay?
A salad of romaine hearts makes a great alternative to the wedge; softer than iceberg lettuce, romaine allows dressing and toppings to nestle into its layers rather than just sliding off. Here, the romaine hearts are sizzled in a cast-iron skillet in a teeny bit of bacon fat, just enough to give them a light char without getting soggy. This step can also be done on a grill, lightly brushing the cut side with reserved bacon fat and then placing the hearts over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. (The bacon fat can be replaced and the bacon omitted to make this dish vegetarian, but I’d suggest adding some flaky salt to balance things out.) Either way, only char the romaine hearts on one side, to attain a balance of crispy, warmed leaves with a cool, crunchy interior.
This dressing is my ideal hybrid between Caesar and goddess—packed with tender green herbs, salty anchovy and parmesan cheese, with plenty of zing from Greek yogurt and lemon. You can use practically any herb that’s wilting away in your fridge, including cilantro, mint, and chives. (Want to further reduce food waste? Add the stems into the dressing as well.) I encourage mixing and matching herbs to get to half a cup; some winning combos I’ve tried include basil with cilantro, mint with chive, and dill with chive. Topped with toasted walnuts, smoky bacon and a snowdrift of parmesan cheese, this salad starts to look more like a familiar steak house side.
If you’re prepping this salad as a main, then one romaine heart per person is the right amount. Otherwise, halves can be served as a side alongside grilled meats, bratwursts or even a roast chicken as the weather cools down.
Not enough people are familiar with Chardonnay from Italy. To accompany the salad, I chose the Tomaresca Chardonnay Puglia 2023 (88, $15), a southern Italian example that has a little more minerality and is lighter in body than its French and Californian counterparts. With its acidity, the wine did a great job of complementing the lactic tang of the yogurt dressing, without conflicting with the herbal elements and the umami notes from the anchovies and parmesan cheese. Other awesome choices would be Vermentino or Roero Arneis.
Charred Romaine Hearts Salad with Bacon and Yogurt-Herb Dressing
Pair with a fresh and light-bodied Italian white, like Tomaresca Chardonnay Puglia 2023 (88 points, $15).
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Approximate food costs: $15
Yogurt-Herb Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh, tender herbs (such as basil, dill, chives, mint, cilantro, etc.)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 anchovy filets, packed in oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time and blend briefly until it reaches a pourable consistency. Can keep for 1 to 2 weeks in a sealed container in the fridge.
Charred Romaine Hearts Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as grapeseed, vegetable, avocado, sunflower, etc.)
- 1/2 cup raw walnut pieces
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces smoked, thick-cut bacon (around half a pack), cut into 1/2-inch lardons
- 3 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise
- 1/4 cup torn, tender herb leaves
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
1. Place a cast-iron skillet (or other heavy-bottomed frying pan) on the stove over medium heat. Add neutral oil, walnuts and red pepper flakes. Gently stir until the nuts are golden brown, then place in a bowl and set aside. Wipe excess oil out of the skillet with a paper towel.
2. Return the skillet to the stove and raise the heat to high. Add the bacon and cook, gently sauteeing and tossing, until crispy and brown and the fat is rendered out, around 10 minutes. Remove bacon and let cool on a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve the excess bacon fat to be used later, leaving a thin layer in the skillet.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add 2 romaine heart halves at a time to the skillet, cut-side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, lightly pressing to get a better sear. Once browned, move them to a platter. Repeat with the remaining halves, adding more bacon fat as necessary.
4. Once all the halves have been cooked, drizzle as much dressing over the romaine hearts as desired. Top with the bacon pieces, walnuts, torn tender herbs and parmesan cheese. Add a couple cranks of black pepper, and serve. Serves 3-6
