Spinach Salad with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Pecans, and Cranberries

- ½ pound thick-sliced bacon strips, cut into ½-inch cubes
- CREAMY BLUE-CHEESE DRESSING
- 4 ounces Danish blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Dash hot sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- SALAD
- One 12-ounce package baby spinach leaves
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 recipe Spiced Pecans
Instructions:
Ours is a spinach salad with some serious attitude. In addition to the bacon and creamy blue-cheese dressing, we add sweetened pecans and tart dried cranberries, and the overall effect is to give this salad a festive feel. It’s a great dinner-party starter, and it’s especially good partnered with a fat grilled steak.
- Fry the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chopped bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside to cool.
- To make the dressing, use a fork to mash the blue cheese in a medium bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine the baby spinach, red onion, dried cranberries, bacon, and spiced pecans in a large bowl.
- Toss the salad with the creamy blue-cheese dressing just before serving.