I am a sucker for lots of things. Some of which include dogs, my own children, my husband, Lilacs, doughnuts, goat cheese and not to be left behind, hot spinach salad.

At my first restaurant job I used to make salads (among other things) and it was the first time I had made a hot spinach salad myself. It was super traditional with the bacon and chopped up hard boiled eggs and maybe sunflower seeds? Not sure- was a veeeery long time ago, but the way I made the dressing has always stuck with me.

I made it hot, in the pan! Then I tossed the spinach in the hot dressing and the spinach leaves got perfectly, slightly wilted (not steamed!!). The secret is in cooking the dressing in the bacon fat and bits and pieces in the pan and then removing the pan from the heat before you add the spinach.

Plus I love the addition of the sweet and tart strawberries and the crunchy toasted almonds- this is a spring salad at it’s best! (I served this with Grilled Salmon for dinner and we scarfed it down) Plus, I also loved hot it looked served straight away in the cast iron skillet I used. If the skillet cools down pretty quickly, this is a nice but different way to bring it to the table!

To make this salad, this is what you do:

In a skillet or heavy pan, cook the bacon slices until crispy on both sides. Set the bacon aside. Drain the rendered bacon fat and then add the shallots and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Then add the sugar, oil and vinegar and stir together. Continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Remove the dressing from the heat and add the spinach and gently toss.

Then add the almonds and crumbled bacon. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.