Lyonnaise Salad
“Every bistro has a warm salad full of cholesterol,” says Chef Poilevey. This popular bistro salad shows why. It is dense with flavor; the crisp bacon bits and croutons are a nice contrast for the smooth egg, which is broken by the diner and mixed into the salad. Poilevey does not brown his croutons too much, preferring to keep the insides chewy.
Ingredients
- Curly endive - 1 bunch (4 cups), torn into bite-sized pieces
- Escarole Leaves - 1 bunch (3 cups), torn into bite-sized pieces
- Radiccio - 1 bunch (2 cups), torn into bite-size pieces
- Vinaigrette Dressing - 1/2 cup
- Bacon - 1/2 lb thick-sliced, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- Day Old French Bread - 1 large loaf day-old, trimmed of crusts and cut into 1-inch dice
- Water - 1-1/2 quarts
- Vinegar - 2 teaspoons
- Eggs - 4
- Parsley - 1 sprig, chopped
Instructions
Lightly toss the greens with the vinaigrette and divide among four plates.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, rendering the fat and browning the bacon bits. Pour half of the fat into a can or cup and chill; the bacon fat may be used for another dish, or disposed when cold and solid. Saute the croutons in the remaining bacon fat and bacon until the croutons just begin to brown.Using a large spoon, ladle croutons, bacon, and bacon fat over the greens.
Bring the water and vinegar to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently break the eggs into the water and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a paper towel, blotting gently with another towel to dry. Place one poached egg on each salad. Sprinkle with parsley to garnish.
