Peach, Onion, and Bacon Salad

Warm peaches among sweet, smoky onions with a crispy bacon topping.

Alongside watermelon, peaches share the honor of being an emblematic fruit of summer. Plus, there's the satisfying feeling of a cold, sweet peach in the midst of a humid, muggy summer. When you have something as wonderful this fruit, it's easy to leave a good thing be, but I've never been in the business of leaving well enough alone. Plus, we really had a plethora of peaches. Fortunately, I stumbled on this recipe at The Bitten Word. Peaches often have a place in salads or desserts, but hovering them between side dish and dessert seemed like the perfect new territory to cover.

To me, the addition of bacon needed little, if any, justification. However, the onions seemed like the odd guest at a party. Although, thinking about it, it makes perfect sense to bring in the sweet savoriness of onions. Afterall, you've already got sweet peaches and savory bacon. Why not tie it together with sweetly savory caramelized onions? When brought together, they form a magnificent combination in a comforting and savory yet sweet dish. Why not finish off National Peach Month with this sweetly savory dessert?

What's your favorite sweetly savory dish?

Peach, Onion, and Bacon Salad

by CJ Huang

Warm peaches among sweet, smoky onions with a crispy bacon topping.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			3	peaches, cut into wedges
			5	onions, diced	I cut into rings, but I think diced would work better.
			6 slices	bacon
		2 tablespoons		brown sugar
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes

Methods:

1. Gather all materials.
2. Sprinkle brown sugar and chili pepper flakes over bacon, and then cook bacon until crispy. Once crispy, cool on paper towels.
3. Brown onions in a bit of bacon grease. (Or substitute in caramelized onions. I'd recommend this version.)
4. Crumble bacon into bits.
5. Cook peaches until tender, and then toss with onions and bacon.