If you like Cobb Salad, you'll love this updated version featuring oven-roasted turkey breast and a handful of other delicious ingredients.
Make-ahead salads have been the salvation of frenzied cooks since the early 1970s. Vegetable-packed salads appeared as part of the health craze and have never gone out of style -- for good reason. They are stress tamers that are easily made the day before an event; they also lend themselves to improvisation.
Take the classic Cobb salad for example. According to legend, the Cobb salad was made famous at the Brown Derby restaurant, one of Hollywood's gems in the movie-studio landscape. It was a place where the Cecil B. Demilles and the Rudolph Valentinos liked to hang out to enjoy one another's company and good food. One evening, the restaurant's manager, Bob Cobb, decided to create an impromptu late-night meal using leftovers from the restaurant's kitchen, such as chicken, bacon, avocado, tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs. He arranged the ingredients over a bed of lettuce, drizzled them with dressing, and like movie-star magic invented a whole new salad.
Cobb salads are great to make and, just like the other classic Caesar salad, can be made in a variety of ways. In this version, oven-roasted turkey breast replaces the chicken in the traditional version. This salad is great for dinner or as the salad course for a larger meal.
RECIPE
Turkey Cobb Salad
Serves 4
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, spun dry, and shredded
2 cups (8 ounces) oven-roasted turkey breast, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) cottage cheese, crumbled
2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into wedges
2 tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. You can also cook the bacon in a preheated 400 degree F. oven on a rimmed baking sheet until crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess fat. Let the bacon cool, then cut it into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil until thickened. Add the lettuce, and toss to coat with the dressing. Place the lettuce on a serving platter. Arrange the remaining ingredients on the lettuce in rows as desired; season the salad to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
