Little Gem with Dates, Prosciutto, and Blue Cheese
Serves 6
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
- 4 heads of little gem lettuce leaves separated
- 1 bulb of fennel thinly sliced on a mandoline
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- 4 oz pitted Medjool dates chopped
- ¼ cup roasted unsalted almonds chopped
- 2-3 oz Stilton cheese crumbled
- Thinly sliced chives
Peppercorn Dressing
- 1 tsp of peppercorns toasted and crushed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
- ½ cup whole milk greek yogurt
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Lay out prosciutto on the prepared sheet tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy. (The time will vary a bit based on the thickness of your prosciutto.) Let cool completely and break into coarse pieces. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Add everything for the dressing into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Be gentle with the salt here, as the salad itself has salty components. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
- Prepare a large ice bath. Add in the little gem and fennel. Let sit in the ice bath for 5 minutes. This will clean the lettuce and crisp it.
- Remove from the ice bath and dry in a salad spinner or lay out on a kitchen towel to dry completely. This is so important to prevent a watery salad! Add to a large bowl along with the dill.
- Lightly dress the salad with the reserved dressing. I use about half but add as much as you'd like. Save the rest for serving on the side or for another salad.
- Pile up half of the salad on a large platter. Top with some of each of the toppings (crispy prosciutto, dates, almonds, and Stilton). Pile on the remaining salad, and top with everything again. I like to assemble the salad this way so you get all the ingredients in each bite.
- Garnish with chives and serve
Video
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