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Top down view of a large white bowl full of chopped romaine salad with candied nuts, bacon bits, crumbled cheese, and dried cranberries.

Amazing Romaine Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

  • ⅓ cup white vinegar (see note)
  • ⅓ cup canola oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, or avocado oil
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon poppy seeds

Candied Nuts:

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salad:

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
  • ½ cup feta, bleu or Parmesan cheese
  • 6-8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled
  • ½ - 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Instructions 

  • For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The dressing can be made up to a week in advance. Whisk to recombine before serving.
  • For the nuts, in a 10-inch skillet, combine the brown sugar, salt, cayenne (if using), and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the nuts and stir until glossy and evenly coated with the syrup, 15 to 30 seconds (don't over cook or they'll turn grainy). Scrape the nuts out of the pan and spread onto a piece of parchment paper to cool completely. When cool, break apart or chop into small pieces.
  • For the salad, in a serving bowl, toss the lettuce, cheese, bacon, cranberries or cherries, and candied nuts together. Pour half the dressing over the top and toss to combine. Add more dressing to taste, if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Adaptations: I've used other flavors of vinegar with good results, too: red wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar. Many readers have used honey in place of the sugar. 
Updated Candied Nuts: Over the years, I've changed the candied nuts portion of this recipe to be more foolproof, since some readers have had trouble with that part. Here is the original candied nuts recipe: 
1 cup chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans are my favorites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Pinch cayenne pepper
For the nuts, in a 10-inch skillet, combine the nuts, sugar, butter, salt and cayenne. Heat over medium, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until the sugar and butter melts and coats the nuts, 3-5 minutes. Immediately scrape the nuts onto a sheet of parchment and separate carefully into pieces to cool.