Spinach Salad Duo (Recipe)

Ingredients

Salad:

1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed and well dried (12 cups)

2 small apples, finely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup broken walnuts

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

6 slices bacon, crispy cooked and crumbled

Steps

1. To make the salad: Remove the tough stems from the spinach and discard.  Tear the spinach into bite-size pieces.

2. In a very large bowl, toss together the spinach, apples, the 1/2 cup blue cheese and the walnuts.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. To make the dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise or salad dressing, sour cream, the 1/4 cup blue cheese, the salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the spinach mixture.  Gently toss.  Sprinkle with the bacon and serve immediately.

Tips:

Before you begin, make sure salad bowl will hold at least 14 cups of salad mixture.

For a lighter version of the dressing substitute 1/4 cup milk and 1 tablespoon honey for the mayonnaise.

Don't add the dressing to the salad until just before serving.  If you do, the spinach will become limp and the dressing will get watery.

If time is short, look for precleaned spinach.  Otherwise, you can wash it thoroughly the day before you need to make the salad.  To wash, rinse the spinach thoroughly in cold water to remove all of the sand from the crinkly leaves.  Pat dry and store in a paper towel-lined plastic bag.

Toasting the walnuts will help to keep them crisp in the salad.  To toast: Place the nuts in a small skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until the walnuts are golden, stirring  often.  Left the walnuts cool before adding them to the salad.

The term blue cheese includes several varieties of blue-veined, semisoft cheeses.  Gorgonzola is softer, creamier and less pungent than most blue cheese.  Roquefort is made from whole sheep's milk and is produced only within the city of Roquefort, France.  Stilton is made only in England.

From : America's Best-Loved Community Recipes