Readers of The Bitten Word cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appetit magazine. Here's their take on Wedge Salad.
Heather: I went all in and tried all of the toppings on my wedge, except I left the bacon off in lieu of the chorizo. Alice was a bit more judicious, sticking with avocado, bacon and egg. After the first few bites we both agreed the other combinations were just ‘eh’. They certainly didn’t have the flavor impact of the classic wedge. It is hard to beat buttermilk ranch, blue cheese and bacon. The avocado and egg got lost with the other, more aggressive flavors. The almonds were nice, but since the lettuce is already pretty crisp the crunch doesn’t pack as much punch. I happen to love chorizo, but I thought the bacon just paired better with the dressing. I didn’t put out the cranberries, which in retrospect I could see adding a nice sweet tang with the dressing and bacon. I could also see where the fried shallots would have been a nice addition. However, we steered clear of the tarragon (I don’t happen to dig it all that much – chef discretion) and omitted the green onions because of the chives and red onion already on there.
Robin: This was so easy to make, and so delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe specified, except I had twice the dressing for my husband and I since we only used 1/4 wedge each. Oh well - as the recipe says, "there’s no subtext with the wedge (none of that “I’m healthy!”). Its only goal is to please", and please us it did!
Allison: Who knew that quartering a head of lettuce, whipping up an easy dressing and frying a little bit of bacon would satisfy just as well a six hour braise? I lightened my dressing up a bit by using fat free sour cream and didn't miss the extra cream factor, possibly due to the diced avocado addition. The crunch of the lettuce and crispy pepper bacon complimented the tangy creamy dressing. Don't skimp on the pepper!
Ludovic: I was a little disappointed that I did not get a more exotic, difficult dish to prepare but that disappointment was displaced by wedge salad heaven. Bon Appetit boasts that it is the ULTIMATE wedge and they are absolutely right. The dressing is the best blue cheese dressing I have ever had. Delicious.
Mary: The Wedge Salad in its original form. Very tasty, and lovely to look at. The dressing was a bit thin and I added some additional vinegar to give it some snap. I prepared the following accoutrements to add to the salad as desired. Sliced scallions, avocado pieces, sautéed shallots ( which were fabulous), sieved hard boiled egg, candied walnuts and golden raisins. The last added a bit of sweet which was a welcome surprise. Overall, a great salad, which my husband and I enjoyed for dinner with a fine Finger Lakes Dry Riesling.
Susan: Wow, a recipe challenge and I pull the Wedge Salad straw?! I feel a bit guilty even reporting on it...but it was a really nice change of pace from our usual salad. The blue cheese dressing is tangy and cheesy (in a good way) and reminded me how easy homemade dressing is to whip up. The iceberg is crunchy and cold and a great delivery system for the dressing. BA suggests toppings galore for an updated wedge; it just didn't strike me as a fit to add dried cranberries or croutons. Overall, it was a good salad and paired well with burgers and oven fries.
Get the Wedge Salad recipe at Bon Appétit