We got back late last night from a fabulous weekend in Edinburgh. Such a gorgeous city! When our friends were here in December, they kept commenting on how nice it was to see variety in the building facades. But Chris and I loved seeing all the medieval stonework: walking the Royal Mile up to the castle and taking in the sweeping views on our historic hike up Calton Hill.

Sadly(?!), no, I don’t have a haggis recipe for you today. But no need to worry, we did give it a go. I’m told that modern day haggis is pretty much just regular old ground beef with some seasoning and oats, not like the stomach casing stuffed with sheep’s hearts and livers and fun bits, as it was in it’s heyday. I’m told… But while I don’t know exactly what I ate, I did learn that haggis is traditionally served with neeps and taddies, otherwise known as mashed turnips and potatoes. The verdict: Eh. I didn’t hate it but wouldn’t rush to order it again.

After a weekend of pints and drams, I needed a fresh salad to ease me back in to vegetables. So today for lunch I made my favorite somewhat healthy salad. Cobb salad usually has crumbled bacon and grilled chicken, but I thought, if cooking up the bacon anyways, why dirty two pans?

Instead I cooked the chicken along with the bacon, some onions, and a dash of hot sauce to make a sizzlingly scrumptious topping for my salad.

The ingredients of a classic cobb are presented in rows, but I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone to eat the salad in sections. That would be weird right? Isn’t it supposed to become a yummy muddled mess?

I use equal parts olive oil and vinegar in my dressings (rather than the more common 3:1 ratio) to keep it on the lighter side. I just drizzle a bit less on so that the vinegar doesn’t bite.

You can whisk or just shape in an airtight container, where it will also keep for up to 2 weeks for future use.

Skillet Sizzling Cobb Salad

Serves 2

2 oz. bacon, diced

1/2 onion, roughly diced

1 (6 oz.) chicken breast, diced

1/2 tsp steak seasoning

5-10 dashes hot sauce

6 oz. lettuce

2 hard-boiled eggs

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 ripe avocado, sliced

2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

Balsamic Vinaigrette, see below*

Begin my heating a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté for 3 minutes. Then add the onions, chicken, and steak seasoning. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Assemble the salad by dividing the lettuce among two large bowls. Spread a sliced hard-boiled egg in a row, then sprinkle a line of blue cheese, followed by tomatoes and avocado. On the final third of the salad, divide the chicken mixture among the two plates.

Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and serve.

*To make a simple balsamic vinaigrette whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of fresh black pepper. This can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Just shake before use.