Lyonnaise salad
I think I should have started my page with this recipe, at least the day I moved to Lyon, as there is nothing more traditional in Lyon than a Lyonnaise salad. Although, yes, you can make it with any curly lettuce, the most traditional would be to use either curly endive or lion’s tooth lettuce (dandelion that you can find in markets from time to time). Also, you can add soft-boiled egg or salted bacon, yet, if you are striving to be very traditional, you must use poached egg (although I do not believe people in earlier days did that and had the old good-boiled egg instead), smoked bacon, and croutons (logical, as bread leftovers are more than sufficient for this dish). And, that must be topped with simple mustard and vinegar and oil sauce. Simple as that. And incredibly tasty too.
300 g frisée or any other curly salad
small handful of parsley leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
croutons:
100 g bread, cut into larger pieces
1 tsp chopped rosemary
10 ml mild extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
sauce:
1 tsp Dijon (or grainy) mustard
1 tsp vinegar
20-30 ml mild extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
poached eggs:
4 eggs
1 tsp white wine vinegar
bacon:
200 g smoked bacon, large pieces
1 tbsp mild extra virgin olive oil
Prepare croutons. Heat the oven 180 degrees hot. In a bowl, mix all of the crouton ingredients, put in the oven in one layer and bake in the oven for around 7-9 minutes. Take out and cool.
Prepare sauce. In a bowl, whisk mustard and vinegar. Whisking all the time with a spoon or a small hand whisk, add oil in a very slow stream until it emulsifies. Add salt and pepper.
Prepare the eggs. Pour water in a pot and boil. When boiling, add vinegar. Turn the heat down so it is barely simmering. Crack the first eggs into the small bowl. Using a fork, make a swirl in the water and carefully, but quickly slide the egg in the middle of the swirl. Boil until the egg has reached the desired consistency (about 3‒4 minutes). Using a skimming spoon, carefully remove the egg from the pot and place it on a plate. Repeat with all of the eggs.
Bacon. Heat a pan, add oil and bacon, and fry on medium heat for 7-8 minutes, finishing on higher heat until caramelised. Take off the heat.
When all has been prepared, in a bowl mix lettuce with the sauce, using your fingers to coat every leave evenly. Place on four serving plates, topping each with croutons, bacon, and egg, and adding some pepper and parsley in the end. Serve.
In partnership with Mason Cash
