Bacon Balsamic Chard

This is my favorite new recipe invention. I make it whenever I have both bacon and chard in the house, as I usually have all the other ingredients on a regular basis.  It is a super fast, super fancy tasting side dish.  The balance of the five main flavors: salty (bacon), bitter (greens and garlic), tangy (shallot and balsamic), umami (bacon) and sweet (bacon, balsamic and shallot), is perfect, in my opinion. This version serves 2-3 (though I've been known to eat the entire recipe myself because it is so good).  I have also made this with other greens, such as spinach or kale or a combination of the three. If cooking kale with one or more of the others, add it first as it takes a little longer to cook.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Chard (5-7 large leaves), washed and roughly chopped into 1/2 inch strips.
1 large shallot (or equivalent amount of onion), sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (1-2 capfuls)
Pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Fry bacon until done on medium-high. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Add shallots (or onions) to pan and saute in the bacon grease until they are translucent.
3. Add garlic to pan and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant ~30 seconds.
4. Add chard to the pan, one handful at a time, stirring each addition until it starts to wilt a little and makes room for the next handful. Continue until all chard is added and then stir and saute a few minutes more until all the chard is just cooked through.
5. Drizzle the chard with the balsamic vinegar and stir.
6. Add bacon back to pan and stir it in. Season with pepper to taste, stir one more time. Turn off heat and serve.