Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

Frisee is a leafy green related to endive and chicory that has a slightly bitter flavor.  It's high is manganese and beta carotene, and it's super high in vitamin k.  I've long been a fan of its flavor, but not so much a fan of its texture, until I paired it with hot bacon dressing.  The heat of the dressing wilts and softens the frisee, and the sweet, tangy dressing compliments the bitter greens beautifully.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try.  Here's how it's made.

Start with frisee that has been washed, dried, and torn.  I was able to find both green and red frisee at my grocery store and I love the mix of colors so here I've put 6 ounces in a large bowl.

Next, I browned 6 ounces of thick bacon over medium heat.  I cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and cooked it, stirring frequently, until it was nice and toasty and most of the fat was rendered.  

Remove the cooked bacon from the rendered bacon fat (drippings); reserve the fat.

While the rendered fat is still hot, make the dressing.

Measure out some rendered bacon fat.  You probably won't use all the fat from the pan so pour the leftovers into a jar and store it in the fridge - we use it to saute vegetables, make eggs, etc.

Add red wine vinegar.  Oh how I love this stuff.

Add salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar.

Whisk everything together until the salt and sugar dissolve, then pour over the frisee and add the cooked bacon.  Toss well and serve immediately.

This salad is best served warm, so only make as much as you plan to serve in one sitting.  

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite measuring spoons https://amzn.to/2xUyAGL

• French whisk https://amzn.to/2Wnd9HM

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Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces frisee, washed, dried, and torn

• 6 ounces thickly sliced bacon, cut into bite-size pieces

• 2 tablespoons hot rendered bacon fat

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place frisee in a large bowl.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown bacon; remove from pan and reserve rendered fat.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together rendered bacon fat, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper; pour over frisee, add cooked bacon, toss well, and serve immediately.