Honest moment here: I’m not much of a salad person. I sometimes get a real hankering for a salad, but as a general rule, I’m not a salad eating type of girl. Until you introduce bacon in the dressing…and not cold bacon pieces, but HOT slightly sweet with a little bit of bite. The first time I had Hot Bacon Dressing I thought to myself “oh my…everything about this is right”. So of course I decided that I had to learn to make it for myself. It was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Once I figured it out, there was no stopping me. I think this means I’m a quasi-salad girl now. Hmmm…or am I just a girl who’s found another way to eat bacon? Enjoy!
Hot Bacon Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon
- 2 shallots, sliced thin
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tsp corn starch
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Chop bacon and cook in a skillet to render fat. Set bacon aside and separate rendered fat in a separate bowl.
- Add 2 tbsp of bacon fat back to the skillet and cook the sliced shallots over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook gently until fragrant. Do NOT overcook the garlic or it will be bitter.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and deglaze the pan, ensuring no bits remain at the bottom of the skillet. Add the brown sugar and Dijon mustard and whisk constantly until incorporated.
- Season with salt and pepper and continue whisking. (Be generous with the pepper!).
- While constantly whisking, slowly drizzle in 1-2 tbsp of additional bacon fat. Keep whisking so the sauce doesn’t break.
- Taste and make any necessary adjustments.
- Remove from heat and add the cooked bacon pieces back to the skillet. Stir to coat well.