Prosciutto is one of those ingredients that demands respect. It’s best served fresh and sliced ribbon-thin. The taste is unmistakable: delicate, rich, even buttery.

Cooking the cured meat means risking toughness and exploiting the gamey, sometimes overly salty nuances. But at Trattoria Stella, a Denver restaurant with two outposts, the kitchen gets it right with the crispy prosciutto salad.

This tangle of mixed greens and baby spinach comes tossed with figs, red onions, candied walnuts, Gorgonzola, and tangy red-wine vinaigrette. A generous helping of lightly crisped prosciutto—still delicate and restrained—adds crunch and subtle meatiness.

The dish, which costs $11.95, is large enough to serve two.

3470 W. 32nd Ave., 303-458-1128

3201 E. Colfax Ave., 303-320-8635

Amanda M. Faison
Amanda M. Faison
Freelance writer Amanda M. Faison spent 20 years at 5280 Magazine, 12 of those as Food Editor.