Grilled Black Forest Ham Salad...

This Signature Salad is yummy!
 And Men love it!...

I have had more men than woman rave about this salad. It is always requested when guests stay at our home. I have also used it for luncheons (in my home) with rave reviews.

When I say, "GRILLED" BLACK FOREST HAM SALAD, everyone thinks I am talking about the HAM!

 Well, it's the LETTUCE! 

That fact always raises an eyebrow or two! 

 Grilled Black Forest Ham Salad

 Romaine Lettuce, washed, cut in half and drain on paper towels

Tomatoes; I used red & yellow grape tomatoes, cut in half

Radishes, sliced

Green onions, sliced

Avocado; mashed, 1/2 to 1 per person

Lime juice, as needed

Cucumber, sliced

Eggs; boiled, 1 or 2 per salad

Black Forest Ham;  lunch meat or ham slices, cut small

Garlic Pepper, to taste

Butter, 1 tablespoon per lettuce stalk

Blue Cheese Dressing; optional for each salad/serving

 Boil the amount of eggs you wish. I use 1 to 2 eggs per salad. Cook, drain and cool. Peel and set aside.

 Prepare all of your vegetables first and set aside. Use half or a whole cucumber as need for the number of salads.
*Cut the lettuce in half, leave the stalk intact, wash and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Peel cucumber. I used a fork to add texture to the look of the cucumber. 

Then slice into rounds.

Slice the tomatoes in half.

 Cut the avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop out fruit with a spoon.

 Mash the avocado with a fork, add garlic pepper to taste.
Use a squirt of lime juice to keep avocado's from turning brown.  
With a light hand add a touch of red pepper if you wish. *It can be hot & spicy, less is more.

Slice the ham into thin, small pieces. Set your veggies & ham aside while you prepare the remaining items for your salad.

Next is the fried cheese...  

We use the fried cheese as garnish & croutons. 

We break the fried rounds over the salad...delish! 

Today, I used parmesan grated cheese, sliced almonds, garlic pepper & olive oil.

1 cup of parmesan cheese

1/2 cup almonds 

*(I have used several different variety of nuts)

A dash of garlic pepper

Mix well

In a heated small frying pan, use olive oil to cook the cheese.

Place a 1/4 cup of cheese mixture into the hot pan.

Cook on both sides until golden brown. Have paper towels ready to rest the cheese on before serving. Do NOT leave unattended! It cooks pretty quick.

Cooking tip: Spray the spatula with cooking spray. The cheese will slide on and off easily.

Place the cooked cheese rounds on a paper towel to drain and cool.

Here comes the part where you FRY the Lettuce!

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter per lettuce stalk. Use a flat pan for frying.

After the romaine lettuce has been washed, cut in half and drained...

 season with garlic pepper. 

*Cut the lettuce in half, lengthwise, leaving the base of the stalk intact. After it is cooked, cut off the stalk/base before assembling & serving. This keeps the lettuce from falling apart while frying.

Place the prepared lettuce, cut side down, on the hot griddle. You may use a spatula or a paper towel to hold the lettuce down on the hot grill.

The lettuce cooks very fast. As soon as it starts to wilt from the heat, it's DONE. You will want to have your plates ready and all of your veggies and meat nearby. You may assemble the salad & serve or have your guests assemble their own salads. In any case, when you start cooking the lettuce, you'll want to have everything ready and at least one person helping to assemble if you are serving your guests at the table.

~~~

To assemble:

Place the Fried Lettuce on your plate,

Add a healthy dollop of mashed avocado,

Place the fried cheese in the center of the avocado for garnish,

Add veggies and ham,

Garnish with hard boiled eggs. 

*You may serve it with Blue Cheese dressing if you wish.

This salad is full of taste.
 It will soon become a family favorite!
* This salad takes a little preparation. But, it is SO worth the extra effort.


Simple to Fix, with Gourmet Style...