Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Have the homemade ranch fully prepared and chilled, the fermented pickles ready, and the home-cured bacon ready to cook before starting this meal.
- Peel and slice the onion into rings. Heat a skillet over medium heat with the ghee, add the rings and reduce to medium-low. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring and turning as needed, until softened and turning golden.
- Meanwhile, heat another skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef, sea salt and pepper. Break apart the meat and cook until browned and cooked through.
- Cook the bacon in a separate pan while the onions and beef cook, or use your usual baking method. Cook until the fat renders and the edges become crisp. Cool enough to handle, then crumble.
- Slice the avocado, cherry tomatoes and fermented pickles. Wash and drain the lettuce, tear it and divide between four serving bowls.
- Divide the cooked beef over the lettuce, then add the golden onions, tomatoes, avocado and pickles. Spoon on the chilled ranch and finish with the crumbled bacon. Serve while the meat and onions are warm; offer remaining dressing alongside.
Notes
Starting Ingredients: The ranch, fermented pickles, home-cured bacon and ghee are separate linked preparations. Bacon curing, pickle fermentation and ranch chilling happen before the meal.
Timing: About 10 minutes preparation and 20 cooking, 30 total when the cooking jobs overlap and the homemade ingredients are ready. Allow additional time for sequential cooking or thicker bacon.
One Skillet: Allow more time. Cook the bacon first, remove it and reserve the rendered fat. Measure a tablespoon of bacon fat in place of ghee for the onions. Remove the cooked onions, then cook the beef.
Full GAPS: After raw vegetables, fermented pickles, eggs, mustard and the other ingredients have been introduced. The linked dressing contains eggs and mustard, and uses coconut milk. Not an early Intro meal or a No-Plant recipe.
Dairy-Free Option: Use an introduced animal cooking fat instead of ghee, and the linked ranch with dairy-free mayonnaise and homemade coconut milk.
Optional Cheese: If introduced and tolerated, add a little grated allowed cheese to your own bowl. It is not included in the measured base.
Packing And Storage: Refrigerate the prepared ingredients in covered containers. Pack meat/onions, vegetables, ranch and bacon separately; assemble at serving.
Doubling: The base serves four; 2x serves eight and doubles every numeric ingredient. Use adequate pan space and allow more time if working in batches.