This salad is composed of all the elements found in the classic turkey club sandwich, except that the bread has been turned into croutons and the mayonnaise into herb sauce. The bacon is cooked my favorite way—on a rack in the oven. The bacon turns out less greasy, and you end up making less of a mess than if you’d cooked it in a skillet on top of the stove.
Total preparation time: 30 minutes
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Trim off and discard the bread crusts. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes; toss them with the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and arrange them on a baking pan. Arrange the bacon on a rack on a baking pan. Put the bacon and croutons ion separate shelves in the oven and bake 10 minutes. Switch shelves; bake the croutons 4 to 5 minutes longer or until crisp and browned on the edges, and the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes longer. Set both aside to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare the Quick Herb Sauce. In a large bowl combine the lettuce, turkey, and tomatoes with 3/4 cup of the Quick Herb Sauce; cover and refrigerate any remaining sauce for another purpose. When the bacon and croutons have cooled, crumble the bacon and add it to the salad along with the croutons. Toss until combined.
Quick Herb Sauce: Combine 1 cup packed, rinsed, and dried basil leaves, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup packed, rinsed, and dried parsley leaves, 2 scallions (white and light green parts), coarsely chopped, 1 large garlic clove, minced (about 1 12 teaspoons), and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest in a blender and puree until very smooth. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
An alternative for romaine lettuce would help some. There is currently a national recall of romaine due to E. coli contamination.
any lettuce that you like would work – mesclun, spinach, even baby kale.
These look beautiful – great idea.
I love cooking all types of foods, would love some new recipes.
Fuji, there are plenty on this website. They are all tested well so go ahead and explore.