Stir-Fried Lettuces with Crispy Shallots

This dish is what I like to call "grown up stir-fry." Let me elaborate.

Stir-fry was the first dish I ever made completely by myself. As in, without my mother standing over me making sure I was doing everything right. When I moved into my first apartment in college, I made stir-fry all the time. Whatever I wanted to cook, whether it was chicken, shrimp, vegetables or tofu, it always ended up being a "stir-fry," a.k.a. a mish-mosh of things that I didn't know exactly what to do with. Am I right or am I right?

When I really started cooking post-grad, I brushed off stir-fries as elementary. "Stir-fry? I made that in college." Food snob right here. I know.

Needless to say, this stir-fry has proved me wrong. It has some unusual suspects (lettuce and watercress), and is flavored with ginger, garlic and some hot pepper. This dish has simple, clean flavors, and is fast and incredibly delicious. I changed the recipe a bit, which I put in parenthesis below. Sadly, my shallots didn't come out as crispy as I would have liked, but there's always next time.. and there WILL be a next time for this one!

Stir-Fried Lettuces with Crispy Shallots (adapted from Bon Appetit)
Serves 4

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup 1/8"-thick slices cured sausage (such as salami or Chinese sausage), quartered if desired (I used ground turkey instead)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

6 cups coarsely chopped iceberg lettuce (about 1/2 head)

4 cups watercress (about 2 bunches), trimmed, cut into 2" pieces

4 cups cooked brown rice (I used wheatberries)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt and pepper (shallots will crisp as they cool).

Increase heat to medium; add sausage and next 3 ingredients to same skillet; stir for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; scrape up any browned bits. Increase heat to medium-high; add lettuce and watercress and cook, tossing often, just until wilted, 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fried shallots over. Serve with brown rice.

Note: I drizzled some soy sauce and sesame oil over the final product, but that's up to you! Try it without the soy and see if you think it needs it.