Italian-American Iceberg Salad

This salad was surprisingly good! It seems like a simple and basic salad but there's a lot of good flavor here. It's a bit similar to Olive Garden's famous salad. If I make it again, I don't think it needs the mini fresh mozzarella balls; the Provolone provided enough cheese flavor.  (Note: Provolone piccante is a more aged cheese, but it's still soft. It's easy to find over here in Italy; not sure about the US.)

Italian-American Iceberg Salad 

adapted from Epicurious

1/2 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small head of iceberg lettuce
1/2 small red onion, sliced into rings
2 ounces provolone piccante cheese, thinly sliced 
1 cup drained small mozzarella balls, torn (optional- it ends up being a lot of cheese)
10 pepperoncini, halved if large

1. Whisk oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, oregano, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Cut lettuce in half through stem end. Tear apart into large pieces. Arrange on a platter and scatter onion, provolone, mozzarella, and pepperoncini over, nestling in among leaves. Drizzle with dressing to coat to your liking (you’ll probably have some extra) and top with more black pepper.

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