Name: Family favourite salad with homemade ranch dressing and croutons
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For the salad; 1 head round lettuce, washed, spun dry and torn or cut into bite-size pieces; 1/2 head red leaf lettuce, washed, spun dry and torn or cut into bite-size pieces; 180ml ranch dressing, recipe follows; Croutons, recipe follows; 250g cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in 1/2; 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and flesh diced; 2 pieces bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled; For the ranch dressing; 80ml sour cream; 120ml mayonnaise; 240ml buttermilk; 3 tbsp freshly chopped chives; 2 tbsp freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves; 1/2 tsp dried dill; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tbsp garlic paste (5 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife and 1/2 tsp salt, to make paste); For the croutons; 1/2 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 tsp cayenne; 1/2 tsp paprika; 2 tsp dried parsley; 1 tsp dried basil; 2 tsp garlic paste (2 cloves garlic smashed with the flat side of a knife and a sprinkle of salt, to make paste); 80ml extra-virgin olive oil; 100g stale Italian bread, cut into 2cm cubes