Salade Lyonnaise (French Bacon and Poached Egg Salad)

About This Recipe

Salade lyonnaise comes from Lyon, a city famous for its hearty bouchon-style bistro cooking, and this salad exemplifies that style — built around bitter frisee lettuce that stands up well to a warm, rendered bacon dressing. Thick-cut bacon (lardons) is rendered until crisp, and the hot fat is whisked with vinegar and a touch of mustard right in the pan, creating a warm dressing that's poured over the frisee to lightly wilt it just before serving. A perfectly poached egg on top is essential, not optional — when cut into, the runny yolk mixes with the warm bacon dressing to essentially become a second sauce, coating the leaves and croutons underneath.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 headfrisee lettuce(torn into pieces)
• 200 gthick-cut bacon (lardons)(diced)
• 2 tbspred wine vinegar
• 1 tspdijon mustard
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 1 cupcubed bread(for croutons)
• 4eggs(for poaching)
• 1 tbspwhite vinegar(for poaching water)
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1/4 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Render the bacon

   Cook diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.

2. 2

   Make croutons

   Fry the bread cubes in the same bacon fat until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes; remove.

3. 3

   Make the warm dressing

   Off heat, whisk vinegar, mustard and olive oil into the remaining bacon fat in the pan.

   Whisk the dressing right in the warm pan so the residual heat helps it emulsify and stay warm for wilting the lettuce.

4. 4

   Poach the eggs

   Bring a pot of water with white vinegar to a bare simmer, crack eggs into the water one at a time, and poach 3 minutes until the whites are set but yolks remain runny.

5. 5

   Assemble the salad

   Toss the frisee with the warm dressing, bacon and croutons, then divide among plates.

6. 6

   Top and serve

   Top each salad with a poached egg, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  A version with chicken livers sauteed in the bacon fat is a more traditional and heartier addition.

• •

  Swap frisee for a mix of bitter greens like escarole if frisee isn't available.

• •

  Adding shaved parmesan is a common, if non-traditional, modern touch.

Storage

Best assembled and eaten immediately; the components don't hold well once combined, though the bacon and croutons can be made a few hours ahead and reheated briefly.

Frequently Asked Questions