Classic Wedge Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large head iceberg lettuce, cut into 4 wedges
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 oz blue cheese, crumbled (for dressing)
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Equipment

• Large skillet (12-inch)
• Whisk

Method

1. Start with the blue cheese dressing. In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, and minced garlic. Whisk until smooth. Fold in the 2 oz of crumbled blue cheese, keeping the chunks intact — you want pockets of cheese throughout the dressing, not a uniform paste.

2. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, then refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Chilling allows the flavors to meld and the dressing to thicken slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning — it should be tangy, creamy, and assertively cheesy.

3. Prepare the iceberg lettuce by removing any wilted outer leaves. Cut the head into quarters through the core, keeping the core intact so each wedge holds together. Rinse gently under cold water and pat dry thoroughly — excess water dilutes the dressing.

4. Cook the bacon in a cold skillet set over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until crispy and rendered (about 8-10 minutes). Drain on paper towels and crumble into bite-sized pieces. Starting bacon in a cold pan renders the fat slowly, producing evenly crispy strips.

5. Place each iceberg wedge on a chilled plate. Spoon a generous amount of blue cheese dressing over the top, letting it cascade down the sides of the wedge. The cold, crisp lettuce against the rich dressing is the whole point of this salad.

6. Scatter halved cherry tomatoes, crumbled bacon, and additional blue cheese over and around each wedge. The contrast of textures — crunchy lettuce, creamy dressing, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes — is what makes this simple salad so satisfying.

7. Finish with freshly sliced chives and a generous crack of black pepper. Serve immediately while the lettuce is still ice-cold and the bacon is still crispy.

What You're Practicing

The wedge salad teaches you that great cooking isn't always about complexity — it's about executing simple things perfectly. Keeping the lettuce ice-cold, rendering bacon properly, and building a balanced dressing from scratch are all fundamental skills. The homemade blue cheese dressing alone is a lesson in emulsification and flavor balancing.

Making dressings from scratch is one of the fastest ways to elevate your cooking. Once you understand the ratio of fat (mayo, sour cream) to acid (vinegar, buttermilk) to flavor (cheese, garlic), you can improvise endlessly. This is the same principle behind every great vinaigrette and creamy dressing.