Wedge Salad with Creamy Shallot Dressing & Crispy Shallot Topping

veggie wedge salad

A traditional wedge salad is served with lots of bacon. Obviously, for me this isn't an option. But, I love everything else about a wedge, so for this post I've made a vegetarian friendly version. The star of my salad is arguably the crispy fried shallots, but the dressing is quite good too. If you haven't guessed, I'm focusing on shallots for this series of recipes.

With spring comes lots of different types of onions - green, chives, ramps, etc. Shallots are one of many, but they are the only ones that are purple! Of course, they don't uncover their beautiful light purple color until the skin is peeled away. This recipe calls not only for shallots, but also for a little red onion and chives. All other traditional wedge ingredients like iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and blue cheese are included. Make this veggie wedge salad even if you aren't a vegetarian, it's quite tasty. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 4
Wedge Salad
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce, core & cut into quarters
1 C Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/4 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced
4 oz. Crumbled Blue Cheese

Creamy Shallot Dressing
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1/2 C Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 C Sour Cream
1/2 C Butter Milk
1 T Chives, chopped
1 T White Wine Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Crispy Shallot Topping
Canola Oil, for frying
4 Shallots
2 T All-Purpose Flour
Smoked Salt (or Kosher)

Directions
Begin by heating a large skillet (suggest cast iron) filled halfway with oil to 350 degrees.

Make the dressing: Combine the shallot, yogurt, sour cream, butter milk, chives, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Whisk together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the crispy shallots: Slice the shallots into thin rings. Separate the rings and put them in a bowl with the flour. Gently toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour and put half of the shallots into the preheated oil. Fry the shallots until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Don't over cook, they will become bitter. Remove the crispy shallots to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with the smoked salt. Repeat until all of the shallots have been fried.

Build the salad: Put one iceberg wedge on a plate cut-side up. Top with some of the dressing. Then, add the tomatoes, red onion, and blue cheese. Finally top with the crispy shallots and more black pepper. Serve with extra dressing. Enjoy!

Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Red Onions

pocket full of potato (and cheese) (topped with caramelized red onion)

While visiting family in Canton over the holidays we went to Gervasi Vineyard, a sprawling Ohio winery. With a gift shop, villa suites to stay in, a wine bar called "The Crush House", live music, meeting space, golfing, and of course a bistro restaurant this place is worth a visit if you are in the area. We visited the gift shop and restaurant. I was inspired by an appetizer we had there and have created my own version for this post.

Potato and cheese pierogies are fried, smothered in caramelized red onions, and served with sour cream.  This is an appetizer that requires a fork for sure. Pair with a sweet and spicy red wine, such as Gervasi's Zin Zin, and enjoy. Here's how to make these tasty potato pockets...

Ingredients - makes 12

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

2 C Red Onion, thinly sliced

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

12 Potato & Cheese Pierogies (suggest Mrs. T's)

To Serve: Sour Cream topped with Chives

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the onions cook monitor the heat and lower it as needed to prevent the onions from burning. As they cook the onions will reduce by half and become sweet by caramelization.

About 10 minutes before the onions are finished cooking, heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and the pierogies in a single layer. Cook about 5 minutes on each side until warmed through and browned. Remove to a serving platter.

Finish the onions by deglazing the pan with the red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top the pierogies with the onions and serve immediately. Serve with sour cream topped with minced chives. Enjoy!