Recipes Spinach Salad with Bacon and Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Dressing 4.0 (3,718) 1 Review Vitaly Paley uses crinkly spinach leaves instead of shredded iceberg lettuce in his satisfying version of the classic Cobb salad because he thinks they add more flavor. For the dressing, he favors a pungent, creamy blue cheese like Roquefort, Point Reyes Original Blue, Rogue River or Maytag. More Green Salads By Vitaly Paley Vitaly Paley Instagram Chef and restaurateur Vitaly Paley is known for restaurants Imperial, Headwaters, The Crown, and Rosa Rosa in Portland, Oregon. He won the 2005 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest/Hawaii for Paley's Place Bistro & Bar, which impacted Portland's culinary scene for 25 years. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 12, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Rob Howard Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 8 Ingredients 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup sour cream 1 small shallot, minced 2 teaspoons cider vinegar 3 ounces Roquefort or other blue cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup) Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 pound lean slab bacon, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut crosswise into thin strips 3/4 pound spinach, large stems discarded 1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 2 hard-cooked eggs, quartered Directions In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the sour cream, shallot and cider vinegar. Stir in the blue cheese. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. In a very large bowl, toss the spinach with the red onion and bacon, then toss with the dressing. Mound the salad on plates, top with the eggs and serve. Make Ahead The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Suggested Pairing Bright, juicy Pinot Gris. Rate it Print