Wedge Salad with Crispy Chorizo

A crisp wedge salad with a creamy buttermilk dressing and blue cheese and tomatoes is a delicious classic that usually comes topped with crumbled bacon.  This is a dish you’ll find on the menu at most steak houses across America and one that I know many of my friends enjoy, too.  While I can’t argue with a classic I thought that by adding a smoky element of chorizo sausage, instead of the bacon, would be a great way to update this salad and give it an interesting twist.  An International flare, if you will.  A friend of mine recently told me that what she likes most about my recipes is the way I add something unique to the dish.  I really took her compliment to heart and was touched that she noticed because typically that is how I create new recipes…by thinking of what I can do that’s different. And that was the basic idea behind this salad, too.  Sure I realize that I’m not going wildly off-base here but I’m hoping you’ll think this small change, which gives this salad a whole different flavor profile, will work in your home, too.  It’s fun to mix it up a bit and give your guests something to talk about.

I chose to use a pre-cooked Chorizo sausage because it was fast (the raw kind just takes a little longer) and also because the extra sausage could save well for another use.  Plus, when sautéed in a pan it crisped up nicely.  There are a lot of different brands of Chorizo out there so use what you love.  They all tend to vary in heat but the brand I chose wasn’t spicy at all.  I really like the Silva brand Spanish Chorizo because it’s  all natural and doesn’t have nitrates or nitrites.  Spanish style chorizo has paprika in it, a spice commonly used in Spanish cooking, and which gives the meat a smoky flavor that is divine.

As for the dressing – it too has a tiny twist.  I made the traditional buttermilk dressing but I added fresh chives and parsley along with the blue cheese to the food processor and blended it all together which gave it a more herbal note.  If you can make the dressing a day ahead and let it chill out in the fridge.  It not only thickens up a bit but the flavors meld together better.

So fire up the grill this summer for a big juicy steak and serve this little gem of a salad for rave reviews.