TEST KITCHEN LAYERED PICNIC SALAD

l med. head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped rough (about 6 cups)
l sp. salt
l/2 med red onion, sliced thin
6 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
l-l/2 cups frozen baby peas
4 celery ribs, sliced thin
l red bell pepper, seeded and chipped
l med cucumber, halvedm seeded and sliced thin
l lb. bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled
l-l/2 cups crumbled or grated fontina or asiago
DRESSING;;
l-l/2 cups mayonnaise
3 tbsps. cider vinegar
l/2 tsp. tabasco
2 tsp. sugar
l-l/2 tsp. pepper
For the salad: place half of lettuce in large serving bowl and sprinkle with l/2 tsp, salt.Rinse sliced onion under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. layer onion, eggs, peas, celery, bell pepper and cucumber over lettuce. Add remaining lettuce o bowl, sprinkle with remaining l/2 tsp. salt and top with bacon and cheese.
For dressing: combine all ingredients and spread dressing evenly over top of salad. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 8 hrs or up to 24 hrs. Remove plastic wrap and toss until salad is wvenly coated with dressing. Serves 12