Kale Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Kale Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

For the Salad:

-1 bunch Kale (or 2 bunches of kale if you aren't using baby romaine)

-1 small container of Baby Romaine or Spring Mix 

-6 Eggs

-6 pieces of Bacon (cooked and crumbled)

-1 wedge Aged Manchego

-1 pint basket Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, rinsed

-1/2 bunch Dill, chopped

-Toasted Pumpkin Seeds 

-Maldon Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Vinaigrette:

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Champagne Vinegar

-Dijon Mustard (like Grey Poupon)

-1/2 Shallot, minced

-Kosher Salt

(Any herbs you would like)

To make the Vinaigrette:

Stir together vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt and let sit for about ten minutes. Slowly whisk in olive oil to taste and herbs. This can be made several days in advance. 

To make the Salad:

Strip the leafy part of the kale from the tough stem and tear into bite size pieces. 

Thoroughly wash and spin dry kale and set aside to air dry a little more. (I like to tear it up first, because it makes it easier to wash. Kale sometimes has a lot of dirt on it, so wash well.) 

Mix kale with a small amount of vinaigrette in the bowl of a stand mixer for a minute to massage the dressing into the leaves. You can do this by hand if you don't have a stand mixer, it just takes more effort. (Also, I do this because it makes the kale less "fibrous" tasting, you can skip this step entirely if you don't mind the salad being a little chewier.) Bring a medium saucepan full of salted water to a boil and place eggs (directly from fridge) in the water using a spider or slotted spoon. For eggs like the ones pictured (outside of yolk set, inside very slightly runny), cook for 8 minutes and then remove eggs and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cooled (5-10 minutes), peel and set aside until all ingredients are ready for assembly. 

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Manchego into long ribbons.

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss with a couple of tablespoons of the chopped dill, a pinch of Maldon salt, pepper and a tiny drizzle of the vinaigrette. 

If using the baby romaine, toss it with the kale and add more dressing only if needed. (Originally I was 

planning on making a kale only salad and then ended up having more guests which is why I added the baby romaine that I already had on hand.) Place the kale and romaine on salad plate and top with the cheese, tomatoes, bacon and pumpkin seeds.  Tear the eggs into pieces and place a couple of pieces on each salad. 

(I prefer the rustic look of the torn egg here, but you can slice it if you prefer.) 

Sprinkle the salad with a little extra Maldon salt and some freshly ground black pepper.