Tomato Salad With Blue Cheese and Crispy Shallots

This recipe is an adaptation of the Mayflower Inn’s house specialty—a specialty so special that regulars of the Washington, Connecticut, restaurant have been known to revolt when it’s not on the menu, according to author (and avowed Mayflower regular) Dani Shapiro. The restaurant tops tender Bibb lettuce with blue cheese, fresh tomatoes, and house-frizzled shallots, but we make things easier with store-bought fried shallots or onions, which add the same crucial texture and depth. We love Lars Own crispy onions and Maesri fried shallots.