BLT Salad

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Sarah Blackburn

Submitted by Gayle Edson of Wakefield, MA. She gets her ingredients from her own garden, from the Dewey Square Farmers Market, and the Saturday market in Wakefield. She used to get her copy of Edible Boston from Russell Orchards in Ipswich until she bought her husband a subscription for Christmas.

“This is the perfect dinner on a hot summer evening. I adapted it from a recipe in the Boston Globe. I like to serve it with mustard vinaigrette, as I always have a jar in the refrigerator ready to go. For summer meals, I often have leftover corn on the cob or leftover grilled vegetables or meat in the refrigerator. When we grill, I always cook extra so I have something during the week to make salads from or to help make a quick dinner. My husband, Bob, has a large vegetable garden and I have an herb garden, as well as a cutting garden. I love to walk out to the garden to see what is ready to harvest for dinner. It is such a good feeling to think, ‘Oh, I need cilantro,’ and run out and pick some!”

Serves 8

1 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed or safflower
½ cup sherry vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons water
2 heads lettuce (Boston, romaine, red leaf), washed, leaves separated from core
4 big, ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1 small red onion, sliced
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
4 ears cooked, chilled corn, cut off the cob

Put first 6 ingredients into a jar and shake. Let sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to develop.

Layer remaining ingredients on a chilled platter. Drizzle with the vinaigrette to taste and serve immediately.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2014 issue as part of a larger story on potluck salads.