Grandma Richter's Wilted Lettuce Salad

[Domestic Goddess]

This is my son-in-laws favorite salad, which was prepared by his grandmother on many holiday occasions. It's now our families favorite as well. I did modify the ingredients, so it could easily be made by others. My son-in-law had told me, that when this salad was placed on the dinner table along with the traditional holiday fixins', it was this salad that everyone would reach for first, and I can see why, as this salad is so good. It's also what my family reaches for first at the dinner table as well. And I'm not kidding!

Grandma Richter's Wilted Lettuce Salad

salad ingredients:
12 cups (8-ounces) romaine lettuce (*See note)
11 slices hickory smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-1/2 tablespoons diced onion

creamy dressing ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, plus 1 tablespoon
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Place salad ingredients into a very large bowl.
(I put mine into a 13 cup size Tupperware bowl.)

In another bowl, add the creamy dressing ingredients.
Stir thoroughly to blend the ingredients together.

Pour the creamy dressing, a little at a time, over the salad, and stir gently to combine.

Once the creamy dressing has been completely mixed into the salad, serve the salad immediately.

Servings: 10-12

*Note: When making this salad, you can pretty much use any type of lettuce, but my daughter and I agree, we much prefer using romaine lettuce; picked fresh from ones garden, but you can use store bought lettuce, even the iceberg lettuce. Also, when adding the leaves to the bowl, I pretty much left the leaves whole, except for the leaves that were a bit too large, then I tore those in half.

.............. An up close picture of salad ..............

 

[RPCookin]

Seems like something is missing - how exactly is the lettuce wilted?

 

[Dawgluver]

I was confused about the wilting too.

 

[RPCookin]

I was confused about the wilting too.

My aunt used to make wilted lettuce for BLT's, and she wilted it in the bacon fat in the same pan after the bacon was done. It added an extra dimension of bacony goodness to the sandwich.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

My Mom made her wilted lettuce yet another way. After she cooked the bacon, she added a small amount of vinegar to the pan drippings, stir to loosen any bits, and pour it all over the lettuce and bacon. Sometimes she finished it off by putting some chopped tomato on top. I've never been able to duplicate her wilted lettuce, and yet I remember it being silly-easy to make. *sigh*

 

[Domestic Goddess]

I thought I'd inform others, that nothing is missing from the recipe. This is not your typical wilted salad recipe. While others may heat their dressing to wilt their salad, with this recipe you do not! If you let the salad sit for a bit (as my daughter would, and for about 10 minutes before serving) the lettuce would wilt, but when I make the salad, we don't let it sit for it to wilt, we enjoy it while the lettuce is a bit crisp.

Today my husband and I had half the amount of salad leftover in the fridge, and decided to snack on it later. The salad had wilted then, but it still tasted good, but that could also be because I had used fresh lettuce from my garden to begin with. That's why the wilted lettuce still tasted good!


What ever you do... "DO NOT" heat the creamy dressing ingredients, "DO NOT" change any of the ingredients, nor change how the salad is to be made. Make the salad as it was written, and trust me, you won't be disappointed!


In the past I had submitted this recipe to a recipe website, and the recipe itself received good reviews, and I received a blue ribbon from the ladies who run/own the site.

 

[RPCookin]

Then calling it wilted is a misnomer. It's a bacon lettuce salad with creamy dressing. It may be delicious, but it isn't wilted.

 

[Domestic Goddess]

Then calling it wilted is a misnomer. It's a bacon lettuce salad with creamy dressing. It may be delicious, but it isn't wilted.

RPCookin, I guess I should of also stated, that after you mix in the creamy dressing, the lettuce does and appears to look wilted, as seen in the photos above. If anyone should decide to make the salad, you will understand why it is called Grandma Richter's Wilted Lettuce Salad.

 

[Dawgluver]

Whatever it's called, it sounds like a delicious recipe. Thanks!

 

[Domestic Goddess]

Whatever it's called, it sounds like a delicious recipe. Thanks!

Thank you Dawgluver! And yes, it truly is a delicious salad.