“I like having salads and vegetables at the beginning of the day,” says Molly. “That way, I can go through the day knowing I’ve had all my vegetables and can have more cake later on.” We like her thinking! While the crinkly, hunter-green kale and sparkling, ruby-hued pomegranate seeds are both beautiful and tasty, the real star here is the almonds. They’re pan-toasted in bacon drippings, which makes them supremely crunchy and absurdly delicious. To get a head start, cook the bacon, toast the almonds, make the vinaigrette, and prep the kale 1 or 2 days ahead; pull everything together the morning of your brunch. If you can’t find lacinato kale, you can use standard curly kale, red kale, or arugula instead.
How to Make It
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add canola oil and shallots; cook 6 minutes or until slightly crispy, stirring. Remove from pan.
Cook bacon in skillet over medium until crisp. Remove from pan, reserving drippings. Coarsely chop bacon. Heat drippings in pan over medium-high. Add almonds; cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Transfer almonds to a paper towel. Discard drippings. Coarsely chop almonds. Place kale, pomegranate arils, shallots, bacon, and almonds in a bowl.
Combine pomegranate juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat.
