Bacon Apple Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
This Bacon Apple Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette is a perfect summertime appetizer or entree. Cook bacon, then set aside the fat. Roast the apple slices, then serve the crumbled bacon and roasted apples over a bed of Tuscan kale. Top with toasted almonds, then toss in homemade Bacon Vinaigrette. Perfect for cookouts, barbecues and fast weeknight dinners!
Servings 4 servings
Calories 435kcal
Ingredients
Roasted Apples
- 3 Honeycrisp apples
- 1 tablespoon warm bacon fat
- Black Pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Bacon Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons warm bacon fat
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 3 slices roasted apple about 1/3 of an apple
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Salad
- 10 oz. Tuscan kale finely shredded
- 4 slices bacon
- ¼ cup almonds slivered and toasted
Instructions
Roast the Apples
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Using an apple slicer/corer/divider, prepare the apples. Place the apples on a sheet pan.
- Drizzle the bacon fat over the apples, then season with pepper and cinnamon.
- Roast for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Turn on the broiler.
- While the broiler heats, flip the apples to their other side so that both sides can brown.
- Cook in the broiler for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool.
Make the Vinaigrette
- In a blender, measure out the bacon fat, vinegar, mustard and the apple slices.
- Pulse until smooth.
- Taste, then season with salt and pepper.
- Pour into a mason jar, and set aside.
Make the Salad
- Place the finely shredded kale into a large glass bowl.
- Pour half the dressing on top of the kale, massaging with your hands.
- Add the crumbled bacon, slivered almonds and apples.
- Drizzle with the rest of the dressing and toss.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Notes
Because bacon fat will solidify in the refrigerator, consume this salad as quickly as possible.
However, if you have leftovers, you can heat the salad in the microwave for 20-30 second spurts until the dressing is a regular consistency. (This is what I did, and it worked like a charm. That said, if you don't like warm salads, this isn't something I would recommend.)
To make this recipe Whole30-compliant, make sure you're using Whole30-approved bacon and mustard.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 368mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 24g
