Hot Bacon Salad

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 5-8 minutes, flipping frequently. (Be careful to not let bacon or oil burn, turn down heat if necessary.) Transfer cooked bacon on paper towel to cool and reserve bacon grease in skillet. Lower heat to low and add minced shallot to the bacon grease in skillet and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until softened. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and transfer to blender.

2. While bacon is cooking, prep salad. Thinly slice mushrooms and red onion. Soak onions in cold water for 5-10 minutes to mellow them out a bit if desired. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to let them dry. Roughly chop or crumble bacon.

3. Blend dressing. To the bacon and shallot mixture in a blender, add olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and honey. Blend until smooth. (Makes a little over 1 cup, may have a few small pieces left which is ok.)

4. Assemble salad. Add baby spinach to a large salad bowl, and toss with 1/3 of the warm dressing. (Gently warm in the microwave if necessary in 15-20 second increments, we do want it to be hot so it can wilt the spinach a bit.) Top with sliced mushrooms red onions and another ⅓ of the dressing and toss together. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. Top with freshly cracked black pepper and serve the remaining dressing on the side for additional dressing as desired.

5. MAKE AHEAD: Cook bacon and make dressing up to two days in advance. Store dressing in refrigerator and take out a few hours to come to room temperature. Reheat in microwave gently for 15-20 second increments until warmed through. Reheat bacon quickly in a hot skillet or wrapped in a paper towel in the microwave for 15-30 second increments until heated through. Let crisp up and assemble the salad.