Iceberg Stack with Blue Cheese & Radishes
Dressing:
- ½ cup (120 ml) well-shaken buttermilk
- ½ cup (105 grams) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- â…› teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces (115 grams) pancetta in ¼-inch dice, or bacon in slices
- 1 stalk celery, cut into ¼-inch dice (about ⅓ cup)
- ⅓ cup radishes in ¼-inch dice
- 1-pound head (455 grams) iceberg lettuce, trimmed and cored, sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds (you’ll get about 6)
- ½ cup (2 ounces or 55 grams) firm blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
Instructions:
If you serve this salad where a normal host would offer something leafy, green, and quiet to chew, you’ll find, among relieved faces, that I’m not alone in my preference.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Brown the pancetta or bacon in a frying pan until it is crisp. Drain it on paper towels, and let it cool. If you are using slices of bacon, once they have cooled, either chop or crumble them into small bits.
- Toss the celery and radishes together in a small dish.
- Place your largest slice of iceberg carefully on a platter. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of dressing, then sprinkle with a little of the radish-celery mixture, a little bacon, a little blue cheese, then chives. Place the next largest slice of iceberg on top (or angled onto it, if it is not sturdy enough to hold the weight), and repeat, adding dressing, radishes and celery, bacon, blue cheese, and chives; then repeat with remaining slices, stacking and staggering them decoratively. If any ingredients remain, sprinkle them over the top.
- Serve and enjoy, unapologetically.