Autumn Salad with Fried Potatoes and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
serves 4-8
Cook's Note: If you are planning on serving this as a main dish, it will generously serve four. As a side, it can stretch to serve six to eight.
for the spiced hazelnuts
(recipe adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen)
- 1/2 lb roasted, unsalted hazelnuts
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl combine egg white and water and beat with an electric mixer until frothy and thick, but not stiff. Fold the hazelnuts into the egg white mixture and stir to coat.
In a small bowl, combine sugars, salt, and spices. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the hazelnuts and stir to coat.
Spread the nuts evenly over the prepared baking sheet and bake for thirty minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Allow the nuts to cool completely and break up any that have stuck together. Store in an airtight container or zip-top bag.
for the salad
Cook's Note: I prefer to make individual salads so that everyone gets a bit of everything, but you could just as easily toss everything together and serve family style.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 8 cups mixed greens
- 2 crisp apples (I used Winesap), cut into cubes
- 1 cup crumbled cranberry stilton, crumbled*
- 1 cup spiced hazelnuts
- chopped bacon
- bacon vinaigrette
*Cook's Note: I buy my cranberry stilton at Trader Joe's but I have seen it at other grocery stores as well. If you cannot find it, you could use a blue stilton here or even crumbled feta.
Place a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat and heat olive oil until shimmering.
Add the potatoes and kosher salt and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are deep golden and crisp; about 15-20 minutes. (You may wish to begin preparing the ingredients for the vinaigrette during this time.)
Divide the greens amongst four bowls or place in one large salad bowl. Top with the warm, fried potatoes, apples, stilton, hazelnuts, and chopped bacon. Drizzle with the warm bacon vinaigrette and serve immediately. Enjoy!
for the bacon vinaigrette
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Cook's Note: I recommend making the bacon vinaigrette last so that it will still be warm when you serve the salad.
Place bacon in a medium frying pan and cook over medium high heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan, reserving the drippings. Add the cooked bacon to the salad.
Pour the rendered bacon fat into a jar and add mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice; whisk to combine. Add the olive oil and top the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until the vinaigrette is smooth and homogenous.