Warm Spanish Spinach Salad (With Dates, Goat Cheese And Bacon)

• For the salad
• 1 bunch good curly spinach leaves, cleaned and dried
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 4 pieces thick-cut bacon
• 2 handfuls medjool dates, pits removed and roughly chopped
• For the dressing
• 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice (from 1/2 of an orange)
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the bacon into bite-size pieces or lardons and fry in a heavy-bottomed small pan. When crispy, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Turn off heat but reserve 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix together sherry vinegar, mustard, honey, orange juice and orange zest.
3. Over medium-low heat, add olive oil to the pan with the bacon fat. Re-warm briefly, then add vinegar and orange mixture to the pan.
4. Simmer dressing gently while whisking, until dressing is warm, slightly thickened and emulsified. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a large bowl, pour dressing over spinach and toss. It should wilt only slightly if you have good hearty spinach. The bagged stuff tends to wilt too much.
6. Arrange spinach on plates. Top with big crumbles of fresh goat cheese, crispy bacon, chopped dates and a few grinds of pepper.

salad, curly spinach, goat cheese, bacon, dates, dressing, bacon, olive oil, freshlysqueezed orange juice, sherry vinegar, orange zest, mustard, honey, salt

Taken from food52.com/recipes/26028-warm-spanish-spinach-salad-with-dates-goat-cheese-and-bacon (may not work)