This is simply the best spinach salad ever. It's not the classic recipe with hot bacon dressing, the poppyseed dressing just makes this salad. And like many dishes that are truly outstanding there is a bit of prep involved. But it can be done in stages and the results are spectacular. Take the time to make homemade croutons, it takes it to a whole new level. Trust me on this one.
~ Jan
Spinach Salad
2 lbs. flat leaf spinach, washed and stems trimmed
2 small red onions, peeled and sliced
8 large mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 large eggs, hard boiled, chilled and peeled
1/2 to 1 lb. crisply cooked bacon, drained and broken into small pieces
Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients:
1 egg, buy pasteurized eggs as this recipe calls for an uncooked egg. I've made it countless times with no problems with the eggs
1/4 C.sugar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2/3 C. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. grated onion and any juice from it
2 C corn oil - don't use olive oil because if you put olive oil in the fridge it will congeal
3 Tbs. poppy seeds
Directions:
Use the food processor for this.
Combine egg, sugar, mustard,vinegar, salt, onion and the juice in food processor @ 1 minute.
With motor running slowly pour in the oil. When all the oil is incorporated turn off, taste and seaso to your liking.
Transfer to a bowl, stir in the poppy seeds and refrigerate, covered til ready to use.
Homemade Croutons
You can do this in a skillet, I find it easier to just put them on a cookie sheet and bake them
1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into 1.5" cubes
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. butter, melted
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
Toss together all ingredients, put on cookie sheet and bake in preheated 375 oven until crisp and brown, flipping with spatula often so that they brown uniformly. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
Drain on paper towel
When ready to serve, toss all ingredients with dressing and top with croutons and crumbled bacon
