Victoria Glass, author of Too Good to Waste (Nourish Books, 2017), says that reducing waste is not about being perfect, but about doing your best. “I’ve often got a bit of meat fat lurking in the fridge, for example, and I often warm it up in a pan and turn it into a salad dressing.”
Salty bacon fat goes really well with earthy beetroots in particular, and Glass’s book has a lovely beetroot, basil, bacon and green bean salad that uses her bacon fat vinaigrette, which is best served warm. My take on her dish involves drizzling some over chunky wedges of little gem, tomatoes and basil with extra bacon, to create a breadless BLT salad of sorts.
There’s no need to serve bacon with this dressing, either, because the fat retains a lot of that bacon flavour; it keeps very well in a sealed jar in the fridge, where it will last for several months, ready to warm up and transform into an incredible flavour potion.
Bacon fat vinaigrette
This simple, umami potion of a salad dressing is wonderful drizzled over salad leaves, as well as on vegetables such as sauteed mushrooms, boiled new potatoes or roast carrots to turbo-charge their flavour.
If you’ve stored your bacon fat for more than a week, do the sniff test before using it to check if it still smells and tastes delicious. Alternatively, you can also freeze it for up to a year, ideally in portion-sized quantities for ease of use.
Serves 2
6 rashers streaky bacon
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 very small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Flaked sea salt and black pepper
To serve (all optional)
Little gem lettuce, cut into wedges
The bacon from making the rendered fat
Tomatoes
Basil
Fry the streaky bacon in a pan on a low-medium heat, making sure the fat doesn’t smoke and burn. Once it is crisp underneath, flip it over on to the other side and repeat. Once both sides are browned and crisp, move the bacon to one side of the pan and spoon two tablespoons of the rendered fat into a small jam jar (if you don’t have two tablespoons, make up the difference with olive oil; and if you have any excess fat, store it in the fridge or freezer). Addthe balsamic vinegar and garlic to the jar, screw on the lid and shake vigorously. Season to taste, then use while it’s still warm to dress your salad of choice.
