Salad Lyonnaisse

A simple salad that is a real nice almost satisfy thing, as the egg yolk mixes in to the dressing and over the croutons. It is refreshing and comforting at the same time, if a dish can be.

You will need

2tbsp Dijon mustard

1tbsp white wine vinegar

3tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Half a shallot,

¼ clove garlic, finely diced

100g/3oz smoked bacon

2 thick slices of white bread

Fresh salad leaves like frissee, lambs , endive or escarole, prepared and washed

Some chives

Some chervil

1 egg

A dash of white wine vinegar

First take a pan and fill it with water and bring it to the boil. Now cut your bacon into too nice chunky lardoons. Plunge them into the water for about 10 to 20 seconds then out and let them cool.  Now cut the bread up in to nice big croutons. Drizzle a little oil over them toss them in the oil and put that in an oven set at 170c/350f.

Now in a bowl add the 2tbsp Dijon mustard, 1tbsp white wine vinegar, 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil the shallot diced very fine and crushed garlic. Mix this together for the dressing taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Now wash and pick your salad leaves and set them in a clean bowl

Now go back to you crotons and remove them from the pan and add the bacon, put that back in the oven and let the bacon crisp up. While the bacon is in the oven cooking take a pan of water add a dash of white wine vinegar and bring this to the boil. Crack your egg in to a ramekin stir the boiling water o make a whirlpool in the middle. Add your egg in to the middle of that water and cook for 3 minutes then fish out of the water.

Finally take some of the dressing and toss the salad leave in it, take your chives and chervil chop them and add them to the salad. Then sprinkle over the croutons and the cooked crispy lardons and finally lay the poached egg on the top. Finish with a grind of pepper over the top of the egg and you are done.