Somehow the almost colorless appearance of the lettuce combined with a dice of under ripe tomatoes and a glop of dressing the consistency of cold oatmeal has left the salad rather unappealing in my opinion.  But even I can turn over a new leaf.

I recently ran across a remake of this classic dish in Bon Appetite.  Updated to include bacon – and who doesn’t love bacon? – my interest was piqued.  But still suffering from the overload during the holidays, I decided to take the recipe a step further and lighten it up.

The results were rather surprising.  By halving the mayonnaise and combining it with plain nonfat yogurt, the dressing took on a new and welcomed tang.  I also increased the buttermilk to get away from the goopy dressing I’ve experienced in the past.  The bacon is a must – really good artesian bacon, not that limp packaged stuff you buy next to the hot dogs.  The finishing touch was to caramelize the onions in some of the leftover bacon fat (okay, not exactly low cal) and them to the wedge.

Now for the real test – the taste test.  I slice an edge off the salad, dab it with a bit of dressing, spear a piece of bacon on my fork and lift it to my mouth.  At once it’s refreshingly crisp, pungent and creamy, salty and smoky.  Yes, I think I will eat the whole thing, enjoying every bite.  And to think I used to tell my mom when I was a kid that I was allergic to lettuce!

Try the recipe here. 

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