Spinach Salad

Rinse the spinach very, very well. Spinach grows in sandy soil, and you need to immerse the spinach in ice cold water, separate the leaves, and drain them. Pat dry. I've learned that the secret to many salads is to ensure that the lettuce is BONE DRY, so do not skip this step! French-cut the onions (very, very thin slices). Peel hard-cooked eggs and slice into 6 slices each. Wash and cut the tomatoes into eighths and set aside. Prepare the bacon -- don't microwave it because you'll need the bacon fat for the dressing. In a saute pan, place the bacon strips and cook over medium heat, turning once. Remove when bacon is browned but not crispy to a paper towel. Pour 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat into a large stainless steel salad (mixing) bowl. Put salad mixing bowl with the bacon drippings on very, very low heat, and add the red wine vinegar to taste. Whisk in the dijon mustard and sugar, and bring to a very low heat (it should be hot to the touch, but not boiling in any way). Add the spinach, and turn with tongs to wilt it ever so slightly. Add the raw mushrooms and red onions and toss. Add pepper and salt to taste. When the spinach is ever so slightly wilted (1-2 minutes max), plate it, and top with tomatoes, egg, and bacon. Serve immediately.