Bacon Balsamic Dressing

If you’re afraid of animal-based fats, go ahead and click “Back” right now. Don’t let your doctor see this recipe. In fact, I strongly recommend that you don’t make this. Conventional wisdom says that it will kill you.

I don’t follow the conventional wisdom. So I get to eat delicious stuff like this.

Ingredients

fat from ¾ pound bacon
½ — 1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey

Directions

If you keep a container of rendered bacon fat, you can make this one any time. But since I usually have this with spinach salad, which needs bacon, I tend to do it fresh like this.

Dice the bacon into bite-sized pieces before cooking it. It’s easier before it’s cooked. It’s much easier if you freeze it before cutting it.

Cook the bacon as crispy as you like and remove it with tongs or a slotted spoon. Try to keep as much of the fat in the pan as possible.

Pour the fat out into an earthenware or plastic bowl. Don’t use stainless steel, or it will cool off too fast.

Add the mustard — I like “country” style, which has a coarser grind — and honey.

Add the balsamic vinegar. Depending on how much fat you got from the bacon, you may need to add more. About two parts vinegar to one part fat works with the vinegar that I use. Different brands have a different level of acid, so you’ll have to adjust to what tastes good to you.

Don’t try to refrigerate this. It will set up and look really gross. Serve warm with spinach and whatever other toppings you like.

And that’s it.


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Bacon Balsamic Dressing

Bacon Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients

  • fat from ¾ pound bacon
  • ½ -- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

After cooking the bacon, filter the rendered fat through cheesecloth or a paper towel.

Whisk in the mustard, honey and vinegar.

Depending on how much fat you got, you'll have to adjust the amount of vinegar. You want about two parts fat to one part vinegar.