- Total Time: 30m
- Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. Grade A maple syrup
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 strips of thick cut bacon
- 1/2 c walnuts
- 1 tbsp. dijon or spicy brown mustard
Optional, but recommended:
- juice of 1/2 orange
- zest of 1/2 orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Toast walnuts on a half baking sheet 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, flipping slices as necessary until nicely crisped. Remove the bacon from the skillet to a paper towel lined plate. Turn off the heat. Leave one third of the bacon drippings in the pan, reserving the rest for another use if you like.
- In a food processor, pulse together the half cup of toasted walnuts with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until a very course dressing is formed. You don't want a paste! Be sure to leave plenty of nutty texture.
- Add the nut mixture back to the pan containing the bacon drippings. Stir in the vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, orange juice, and orange zest. Bring to a simmer, stirring as you go.
- Meanwhile, dice or crumble the bacon. Continue to simmer just until the dressing has thickened a bit, then add in the diced/crumbled bacon. Serve warm.
- Keep refrigerated in a Mason jar, and gently reheat before serving.
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