Spinach Salad With Gorgonzola Croutons and Bacon Twists

This came from the 2004 edition of The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl. I microwaved the bacon twists, but I'll provide the recipe as written in the book. The dressing for this was so good my daughter wanted to scrape the blender pitcher. As I typed this in I realized I misread it when I made it and used 2 tablespoons of honey rather than teaspoons. The additional honey certainly did no harm! Preparation time does not include hard-boiling the eggs.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8  slices bacon (1/2 lb.)
• 1⁄4 cup  crumbled gorgonzola
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 4  slices  country bread, half-inch thick, preferably sourdough
• 1  garlic clove
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2  teaspoons honey
• 1  lb spinach, coarse stems discarded
• 1  small red onion, very thinly sliced crosswise and separated into rings
• 2  large hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Directions

1. Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Twist each bacon slice into a tight spiral and arrange twists on rack of broiler pan, pressing ends onto pan(twists will unravel somewhat as they bake).
3. Bake in upper third of oven until crisp, about 30 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
4. Meanwhile, mash together Gorgonzola and butter in a shallow bowl with a fork. Spread generously on bread slices.
5. Cut slices into 1-inch squares and arrange on a baking sheet.
6. After bacon has cooked for 15 minutes, put croutons in lower third of oven. Bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
7. While croutons bake, using a large heavy knife, mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt.
8. Combine mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, honey, and garlic paste in a blender and blend until smooth.
9. Toss together spinach, warm croutons, and onion in a servng bowl and toss with dressing. Top with bacon twists and eggs.