Servings: 4
Charring the key vinaigrette ingredients together gives this recipe the ease of a sheet-tray meal. Coating homemade croutons in mayonnaise before baking ensures the salad has a hint of mayo flavor essential to any good BLT.
Preheat the broiler, and line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil. Place the cherry tomatoes, quartered tomato, shallot, and lemon (cut side up) on the pan. Drizzle with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat until the skins of the cherry tomatoes are mostly charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the cherry tomatoes from the oven and let cool. The skin of the quartered tomato and the outer layer of the shallot should be deeply charred, and the lemon rind and flesh should be lightly charred. If not, broil 3 to 5 minutes more. Let everything cool enough to handle. Juice the lemon half.
In a food processor or blender, combine the quartered tomato, shallot, remaining 5 Tbs. olive oil, 3 Tbs. of charred lemon juice, the anchovy filet, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend or process until smooth. Stir in the parsley and tarragon. Refrigerate until cold.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, whisk 3 Tbs. of the mayonnaise to loosen. Add the bread, toss to coat evenly, and transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake on a center oven rack until the croutons are golden brown and crunchy, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the goat cheese and remaining 1 Tbs. mayonnaise. Schmear the mixture on the bottom of a serving bowl. Place the torn lettuce on top. Drizzle about half the vinaigrette. (Cover and store remaining vinaigrette in the refrigerator for another use.) Top with the charred cherry tomatoes, crumbled bacon, and croutons.
The lure of a sheet pan dinner did not yield a salad worth the effort.
Seems efficient to char the cherry tomatoes, quartered tomatoes, and lemon together, but the cherry tomatoes lose their oomph while the vinagrette chills. Next time, I would roast the cherry tomatoes closer to serving time ( maybe while cooking the bacon in the oven?), so both are still warm when you dress the salad. The mayo-covered croutons browned nice and quick, but would have benefited from some seasoning. The vinagrette needed a dash of dijon, and likely would be even yummier with summer tomatoes.
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