Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

A few weeks ago, Justin of Marx Foods asked for bloggers who would be interested in developing a recipe using Mangalitsa pork products. (The winner would move onto another challenge issued by Marx Foods!) I’ve never heard of this before, but I was intrigued, so of course, I sent an email. Before I knew it, I had a slab of Mangalitsa bacon in front of me, begging to be made into something.

I asked my Twitter friends what they would prefer: sweet or savory. It was close, but savory had the most requests. 🙂

So, I brainstormed. I didn’t want to do a breakfast item, since that’s what bacon is known to be used in. I wanted to do something a tad different, and I remember having a spinach salad with bacon vinaigrette at a restaurant a while back. It was absolutely delicious, so I thought this would be a good thing to try to replicate in the kitchen.

I’m not the best cook in the world when I wing it, but for some reason, this dressing came out really awesome on the first try! The bacon lends a very mild flavor, but is still prominent in the dressing. I really enjoyed it!

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
an original

Ingredients:

• 1 slice thick cut bacon (I used mangalitsa bacon), cut into small cubes
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon on medium heat until done. Set the bacon to the side and pour off all but appx. 1 tbsp. bacon fat.
2. Cook the shallot and garlic in the same pan (with the 1 tbsp. bacon fat) for about 5 minutes on medium low heat until it’s cooked down.
3. Turn heat to low. Add in red wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard and whisk well.
4. Whisk in the olive oil, a little at a time until well blended.
5. Serve over a salad of greens or spinach and enjoy!