Crispy, butter-sautéed onion bagel croutons garnish a salad of shaved ham heaped in the middle of a bed of mixed baby greens or romaine lettuce hearts, surrounded by thinly sliced red onion, tomatoes, baby Swiss cheese and crumbled blue cheese, and drizzled with a balsamic vinegar.

Seasonal Salad with Baby Swiss and Blue Cheese, Ham and Bagel Croutons

4 tablespoons butter
2 onion bagels, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup (4 ounces) mixed baby salad greens or romaine lettuce hearts, washed and spun dry
8 ounces shaved deli ham
8 ounces thinly sliced Wisconsin Baby Swiss cheese
3 large ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced thin
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced very thin
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Wisconsin Blue cheese
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Additional fresh ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the bagel cubes and season with the salt and pepper. Toss in pan every 2 minutes until croutons are toasted on all sides. Remove from pan.
2. For the salad, lay salad greens over entire surface of a serving plate. Heap shaved ham into middle of plate and arrange Swiss cheese and tomato slices alternately around ham in a circle.
3. Arrange sliced onions around and over tomatoes and cheese slices and sprinkle with blue cheese. Dress with balsamic vinegar. Top with croutons and season with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.