Salade Lyonnaise

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Simple and delicious, a staple dish of my childhood.

INGREDIENTS For the vinaigrette

– 45g finely chopped banana shallots (approx 2)

– 2 tsp sherry vinegar – 2 tsp Dijon mustard – 50ml extra-virgin

olive oil

For the salad

– 1 head of frisée or

curly endive

– 4 handfuls of pissenlit blanc (dandelion) leaves (optional)

– 4 thick rashers of

smoked bacon

– 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

– 1 garlic clove, peeled – 80g piece of baguette – 3 tsp sherry vinegar, plus a splash for poaching the eggs – 20ml reduced veal or beef stock (heated to reduce from 100ml) –4eggs

– 1 tsp finely chopped

chives

METHOD

Whisk together the shallot, vinegar, mustard and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil to make a thick dressing, season then set aside.

Wash and dry the frisée and dandelion leaves, if using. Separate the leaves; discard any really thick, heavy ones.

Cut the bacon into 1-2cm lardons. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon along with the garlic clove and sear well until golden brown. Lift the bacon pieces on to a rack or kitchen paper to drain, keeping the garlic and bacon fat in the pan.

Dice the baguette into 1-2cm cubes and toss them in the pan until golden and crispy, then set on kitchen paper to drain. Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper and add the vinegar, heating it gently to further deglaze the pan. Toss in the lardons, add the stock and a few turns of a pepper mill. Set aside.

Bring a pan of water to a gentle boil and add a splash of sherry vinegar. Crack the eggs into small bowls, gently tip into the water and poach for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift them out on to kitchen paper and season.

Place most of the croutons and lardons, all the leaves and two thirds of the dressing in a bowl. Toss well. Pile the salad high in the middle of your serving plates and arrange the remaining croutons and lardons around the sides. Drizzle the rest of the dressing around the outside and, just before serving, top with an egg and chives.