Tangy Greens With Bacon-y Breadcrumbs

There is a time and place for big chunky croutons with their chewy-crunchy texture, and then there is right now, when we want to see showers of crisp bacon-y panko fall all over every last corner of our salad. It stays wondrously crunchy (even when riding on top of tomatoes) and brings the rich flavor of bacon with it, pairing supremely well with creamy buttermilk and dill-packed dressing. The key here is layering the lettuces and tomatoes to ensure every bite is well-seasoned and coated with seasoned panko and cool dressing. Call it a BLT salad, call it ranch salad; it’s got just enough going on for us to call it dinner. Thanks to BA’s VP of video programming, June Kim, for inspiring this recipe. —Chris Morocco