Last weekend we took Jay's grandmother, Nanny, dinner. His mother and a few friends were there too, and when I asked what I should make I got the most southern answer there ever was:
"Well, Nanny just looooooves a wedge." You had to be there.
So a wedge I made. With a few updates, but mainly super duper classic. I'm a big fan of a wedge salad myself, even though they're massively overpriced in restaurants and kind of hard to eat? Like, I like all the flavors but CUT IT UP FOR ME IF IT COSTS $8. Seriously.
So you could chop this beforehand and make a chopped wedge, which would be contradictory but less effort for the eaters.
For this salad, you need iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, pancetta (or bacon!), and capers. For the dressing you need cream, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, blue cheese, and garlic powder. 
For the dressing, you mix everything together, taste it, add salt and pepper, and it's done! 
For the salad, you'll need to roast the tomatoes. Cut them in half, and place them cut side UP on a baking sheet.
Roast them at 400F for 20 minutes or so until they're slightly browned. I love roasting tomatoes for this salad because they get kind of sweet, which balances the excess salt from the cheese and pork product SO well. Worth the effort for sure. 
While the tomatoes are roasting, crisp the pancetta or bacon! Cold pan. Cold pancetta. Turn to medium-high. 
Drain when crispy. 
Slice the green onion, too. 
For the lettuce, we hack the whole head in half, then carefully cut out the core. 
I do 6 wedges per head of iceberg, but you can do 4 if you like bigger salads! 
Now, all that's left is to assemble! I go lettuce, capers, onions, tomatoes, then drizzle the whole mess with dressing. 
Top with pancetta and extra blue cheese if you're into that kind of thing. 
Nanny was proud, y'all. I love fun restaurant foods like this at home because they're generally easy, but also infinitely cheaper than going to restaurants. 
Make these soon!
Wedge Salad + Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce cut into 6 wedges
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 3 ounces diced pancetta
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
FOR THE DRESSING
- Combine the cream, vinegar, Worcestershire, blue cheese, and garlic powder. Taste, and add salt and pepper to your taste, or a splash of water if the dressing is very thick.
FOR THE SALADS
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes or until slightly dark and wilted.
- Meanwhile, crisp the pancetta in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then drain on paper towels.
- To assemble, arrange the wedges with green onions, roasted tomatoes, pancetta, and capers. Drizzle with the dressing and crack extra pepper over top, if desired.
- Enjoy!
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