Lyonnaise Salad

I’ll never forget the narrow alleyways of Lyon, France where small restaurants called bouchons were crowded with small tables and chairs teetering on the cobblestone street. People were eating sandwiches, soups, and the frisée salad that was named after the city. I had many Lyonnaise salads while I was visiting, and it became one of my favorites, even years after I was there. What makes this salad unique is the crisp frisée lettuce and the poached egg that must have a runny yolk which blends into the vinaigrette. I have a method of poaching a perfect egg, using a sieve to remove excess water from the egg whites. Even if you can’t experience this salad in the quaint city of Lyon, France, you can enjoy it anytime with just a bit of time and few ingredients.

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Ingredients

Serves 4

Lyonnaise Salad:

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 heads frisée lettuce, torn

• 4 eggs

Process

In a frying pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and put into a large salad bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Add the frisée and bacon, but do not toss with dressing yet.

To cook the eggs, heat 6 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Break one egg at a time into a small bowl. Pour the egg into a sieve over the sink or another bowl to allow excess liquid to strain from the egg. Carefully drop the egg into the simmering water and repeat with remaining eggs. 

While the eggs are cooking toss the frisée with the dressing and a place onto 4 plates. When the egg whites are opaque and there is a white film over the yolks, remove with a slotted spoon and place over each salad. Season eggs with salt and pepper and serve at once.