My mom called that "killed" lettuce and onions, although it included greens too, not just the leaf lettuce. I always liked watching her pour that hot grease over the greens. A big bowl of greens reduces down pretty quickly when you "kill" it down.
No wonder I have cholesterol problems now. Nobody had heard of it back in those days, but if we had any cholesterol back then, my Momma would have fried it and made some cornbread to go with it.