summer wedge

Adapted from “The Minimalist Wedge” in Cook This Book, page 181, by Molly Baz.

Ready in 10 minutes

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• ½ c panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• ½ c mayonnaise
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1 lemon, washed and dried
• ½ of a head of iceberg lettuce
• Optional: 1 bunch of chives or 3-4 scallions

Directions

Click on each bullet point to expand more detailed instructions.

Smash 1 garlic clove, then toast panko breadcrumbs with smashed clove and 2 tablespoons olive oil until fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer to small bowl.

1. With papery skin still on garlic clove, use the flat side of a large kitchen knife to firmly press down once, smashing the clove and releasing the paper. Feel free to smash a second time if needed. Peel off paper.
2. In a small pot over medium low heat, swirl 2 tablespoons olive oil with smashed garlic clove until oil smells fruity and shimmers and garlic clove begins to soften (about 1 min).
3. Add panko breadcrumbs and stir to coat with the oil. Let toast, stirring every 30 seconds or so, for about 3-4 minutes or until crumbs are a delicious golden brown.
4. Transfer breadcrumbs to small bowl.

Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in small mixing bowl. Grate in remaining garlic clove and zest from lemon. Squeeze in juice from half of lemon, add a splash of cold water, and stir. Taste for seasoning.

1. Add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and a large pinch of salt to a small mixing bowl or large eating bowl (eating bowl = bowl you would eat from, if that differs from your mixing bowls). Grind in black pepper, about 10 grinds, and stir to combine.
2. Using a zester or other fine mesh grater (also known by brand name Microplane), grate garlic into bowl.
3. Grate lemon zest from lemon into bowl. Note that zest is only the very top layer of the skin – once you see white, you have grated enough off of that area of the lemon.
4. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half of the lemon into the bowl.
5. Add a teaspoon of cold water and stir. The dressing should be pourable but not thin or watery. If it needs more water, feel free to add a bit more to hit the right consistency.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon juice) as needed.

Cut iceberg in quarters or to your preference. Season with lemon juice and salt. Pour dressing over each serving. Sprinkle garlic breadcrumbs. Add optional herbs and serve.

1. Wash iceberg lettuce and pick off any outside leaves that have wilted or browned. Cut the head of lettuce in half through the root, if not already done so. Save one half to store and turn your attention to the other half.
2. Cut lettuce into servings.
   1. If you prefer a traditional wedge, create one by cutting through the root a second time, resulting in two quarter heads of lettuce, and gently pull the layers of leaves apart so that it will be easier to dress between them.
   2. If you prefer minimal work on both prep and eating, pull off the number of iceberg leaves that you want to eat and cut them down to a size that you can easily fit in your mouth.
   3. If you prefer the easiest salad-eating experience, cut the root out of the iceberg and slice strips perpendicular to the root. We call this “shredduce” (shredded lettuce).
3. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chopped lettuce, and season with salt and pepper. Note that you don’t need a ton of seasonings here – just enough to make sure there’s flavor throughout the salad.
4. Place lettuce on plates and drizzle with dressing to your liking (again, fine to add more water and/or lemon juice if it’s not pouring well). You may not use all the dressing, and that’s totally fine.
5. Sprinkle reserved garlic panko breadcrumbs on top. If desired, sprinkle finely chopped chives or green onions over the top as well.
6. Enjoy!

How To’s

1. How to make this clean up easier:
   • Transfer panko straight to its long-term storage home (container with lid or resealable baggie) and skip the intermediary bowl.
   • Use the back of a spoon to smash garlic instead of a large knife, and then use spoon to stir either the breadcrumbs or the dressing. Tear iceberg leaves to avoid knife use completely.
   • Use kitchen shears to snip chives/green onions straight onto salad.
2. How to use this best:
   • Make double batch of dressing and breadcrumbs and keep in the fridge for a week. Use to dress greens of your preference for an easy, refreshing salad throughout the week.
   • It’s a wedge, y’all. Make bacon because you love yourself. Is it an extra step? Yes, absolutely. But… bacon. Also, you can fry up a ton of bacon at the beginning of the week and crumble it on salads for days. Or make BLTs, the salad

love you stay fed!