Green Salad with Montrachet Croutons

Serves 8

The croutons can be made one day in advance and re-crisped on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 5 minutes just before serving.

Ingredients for the Dressing:
4 tablespoons shallots, finely minced – $0.98
1 clove of garlic, minced – from stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard – from stock
¼ cup red wine vinegar – from stock
¾ cup quality olive oil – from stock

Ingredients for the Croutons:
1 loaf of French bread (a “skinny” baguette, not a huge, fat loaf) – $1.99
½ cup Montrachet cheese, softened – $7.99
8 tablespoons olive oil – from stock

The Greens:
8 cups of curly green lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces; washed and dried well. – $3.98
Grand Total Assuming Well-Stocked Pantry: $14.94
Cost per Serving: $1.87

Directions:
1. Prepare the salad dressing. Combine shallots, mustard, garlic, and vinegar. Allow mixture to rest for 10 minutes or so, then add the olive oil in a steady stream, whisking continuously.

2. For the croutons, cut the baguette into 28 slices, about a=2 0½ inch thick and on the diagonal.

3. Cream the softened goat cheese with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. Smear the mixture onto 14 slices of the bread. Top each with the remaining slices, to create a “sandwich”.

4. Over a medium-high flame, heat the remaining 7 Tablespoons of oil. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to divide this step into 2 or 3 batches. (2 Tablespoons of oil for 4 sandwiches.)

5. Coat both sides of the sandwiches with the hot oil and sauté until golden brown. * This is pretty quick, so be careful not to burn them!

6. Cut sandwiches into quarters and store in refrigerator in a sealed container until the day of.

7. Toss greens with dressing and sprinkle with warm croutons.