Every so often I come across a meal or a dish that just makes me mad. Wedge salads just happen to be one of those things.

To be frank, wedge salads are my arch nemesis. They keep me up at night. I’ve never even had one before I made this recipe ! I just can't wrap my head around why there is a whole salad with the focus being on iceberg lettuce. ICEBERG LETTUCE ?!?!

- insert Soulja Boy GIF here -

HOWEVER on the flip side, when done right a wedge salad can be an amazing appetizer or dinner by itself. I see the wedge salad has made a come back in recent years (it probably never left?!? )  and it always makes me roll my eyes but I’m also always secretly looking at how it’s constructed, the ingredients and more.

A salad is a salad is a salad but when done right, a salad can blow your mind. When I was creating this recipe, I looked at a couple of wedge salad inspiration pics and of course really wanted to create a solid go to - yet fabulous wedge.

- again, why do wedge salads and I have so much friction ?!?!? -

The basics of the iconic wedge salad are simple : perfectly crisp iceberg lettuce , thick cut bacon,  the surrounding tomatoes, the blue cheese and sometimes egg depending on what’s going on. And to top it off, an incredible dressing to complete the meal.

Here in my version of a wedge salad,  I tried to capture all of those elements but of course, make it extra fabulous. I used duck eggs which are richer than chicken eggs but please feel free to use what you can get your hands on. Instead of a classic buttermilk dressing, I wanted something memorable so I made an avocado buttermilk dressing with some liquid smoke for an added level of flavor. This entire combination of flavors did not disappoint and after having this, I see why people love wedge salads so much…. I just like my own version more.

Wedge Salad

1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed & cut in quarters

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, rinsed

1 lb of thick cut bacon 

soft boiled eggs

blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 bunch of chives, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

3 avocados, cut in half with the seed removed

3T. vinegar + 1 1/2c. vinegar, separated

6T. of white sugar

2c. buttermilk

1c. water + 3/4 c. water, separated

1/4 c. olive oil

liquid smoke, optional

salt

pepper

Quick Pickled Tomatoes: Rinse cherry tomatoes and place in a medium size bowl. Add apple cider vinegar, sugar and water to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once your pickling liquid has begun to simmer and all the sugar is dissolved, and in 2 ice cubes then pour over the tomatoes, making sure all of your tomatoes are submerged in the pickling liquid and allow to pickle for 1 hour or longer.

Bacon: Cook the thick cut bacon as you wish. Once cooked, you can cut it into squares or crumble it, then set aside.

7 Minute Eggs: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling , using a slotted spoon slowly add eggs into boiling water and set timer for 7 minutes. At the 7 minute mark, remove pot of eggs from the heat and immediately place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Make sure eggs are cooled completely before peeling. When ready to serve, slowly cut the eggs in half in one swift morion with a sharp knife and sprinkle  the egg with salt and pepper. ** if you don’t want a runny yolk, cook eggs longer **

Smoked Avocado Buttermilk Dressing : Place avocados, garlic cloves, buttermilk, and vinegar in a blender or food processor and begin to puree on a low speed. Take the top off of the blender (or pour through the hole in the blender top) and slowly add olive oil. If you see the dressing is becoming too thick, drizzle in a little water. Alternate the olive oil and water until you get the salad dressing consistency you desire. Once the dressing is at your desired consistency, add in desired amounts of liquid smoke, salt and pepper. Your dressing should have a recognizable smoked flavor. Once ready, place in the fridge until needed. This dressing should be stored in an air tight container and will last in the fridge for 4 days.

Assembling Your Fab Wedge Salad: On a flat surface remove outer leaves and cut the head of iceberg lettuce into 1/4 sections. Remove the inner core and place on a plate and season your lettuce with a little salt and pepper. Next, slice your pickled tomatoes in half and arrange around your lettuce wedge. Spoon your desired amount of smoked avocado dressing across the wedge and then add your desired amounts of crumbled bacon and blue cheese. Add your eggs to your plate next and sprinkle your chives on top. serve immediately & eat fabulously.