None Better Than Markie’s

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: August 2024 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Markie Weinstein

Markie Weinstein, the newly anointed head chef at the ever-popular Ugly Dog Pub, found her culinary inspiration at an early age, inspired by her mother and grandmothers.

After earning a degree in culinary arts from the Art Institute of Chicago, she headed South to Auburn, Alabama, to work for David Bancroft at his legendary Southern food restaurant, Acre. She had risen to the position of sous chef by the time she left to become Executive Chef at several leading Atlanta restaurants, including General Muir.

As the traveling Executive Chef for the Indigo Road Hospitality Group, she and her husband, Matt Weinstein, moved to Highlands to head up the culinary operations at the Skyline Lodge. Off duty, Markie delights in cooking for friends and family, often showcasing her astonishingly good Caesar Salad.

I’ve made more variations of what has become the eponymous Caesar Salad than I can recount. But none better than Markie’s – a decadent hymn to the “stylish salad” often served to Ladies Who Lunch. Resplendent with the smoky saltiness of bacon, she grills the romaine leaves to a slightly softened and charred center, before topping it off with juicy grilled chicken thighs, pickled red onions and hard-boiled eggs.

Grilled Caesar Salad

Serves 4

For the Salad Dressing

Ingredients

2 small garlic cloves, peeled
6 anchovy fillets
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons capers, drained
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Texas Pete
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅔ cup canola oil

Directions

Step 1: Insert the chopping blade into the work bowl of the food processor. With the machine running, drop the garlic through the feed tube and process until finely chopped. Add the anchovies, egg yolks, capers, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Texas Pete and pepper to the work bowl. Process until well blended.

Step 2: With the machine running, slowly pour olive oil through the feed tube in a steady stream until the dressing is emulsified, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

For the Salad

Ingredients

½ red onion, very thinly sliced into ribbons
Kosher salt
¼ cup red wine vinegar
8ounces high-quality bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large heads (about 1½ pounds) romaine lettuce, trimmed and quartered
1 1/2 pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
½ cup grated parmesan

Step 1: Make the Pickled Onions. Place onion in a bowl, and season with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle vinegar on top, and let sit 10 minutes more.

Step 2: Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it has rendered all its fat and the pieces are crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate or bowl, leaving the fat behind in the skillet; set bacon aside.

Step 3: Make the chicken: Rub chicken with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set a grill to medium-high. Generously oil the grates, then add the chicken and cook until the bottom is charred, 5 to 8 minutes. Use tongs to turn over the thighs and continue to grill until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces; turn thighs over again if necessary. Move thighs to a cooler part of the grill if browning too quickly. Transfer to a platter

Step 4: Grill romaine: toss romaine with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer and grill, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and softened all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer romaine to a large serving platter.

Step 5: Remove lettuces to a large platter or individual plates. Paint the dressing into the crevices between the leaves of the romaine. Top with chicken, hard-boiled egg, pickled onion, and bacon bits. Drizzle with more of the Caesar dressing and sprinkle grated parmesan to taste.