Lettuce Wedge with Poppy Seed Dressing

There’s nothing wrong with a wedge salad when it’s done right, and this one leans hard into the steakhouse classic. A cool quarter of crisp iceberg lettuce (the only lettuce stiff enough for the job) gets drowned in homemade poppy seed dressing that’s miles ahead of any bottled version.

The dressing technique is what makes this work, building a stable emulsion by streaming the oil into the vinegar mixture slowly while whisking constantly. Onion juice (you can substitute finely grated onion squeezed in cheesecloth) gives the dressing that distinctive savory backbone that distinguishes good poppy seed dressing from candy-sweet imitations.

Dry mustard does double duty as both a flavor and an emulsifier. The mustard particles help bind the oil and vinegar together so the dressing stays creamy thick instead of breaking into oily pools.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the salad plates and the lettuce. A wedge salad lives or dies on coldness
• Stream the oil very slowly at first, dumping it in all at once breaks the emulsion
• Use the freshest poppy seeds you can find. Old poppy seeds taste rancid and bitter
• Make the dressing a few hours ahead, the flavors marry and the poppy seeds bloom

Variations

• Top with crumbled bacon, blue cheese, and chopped tomato for a true steakhouse wedge
• Use apple cider vinegar instead of white for a fruitier, mellower acid
• Substitute honey for the sugar for a more rounded sweetness with floral notes