A classic French bistro salad. Baby frisée, bacon, a poached egg and home made croûtons are tossed with a Dijon vinaigrette.
Chef's notes
Salade Lyonnaise makes a nice appetizer or light lunch.
Steps
1
Making Croûtons
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 loaf white bread (square)
To begin, preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C.
Note: For the croûtons, it is best to use day old bread, as it is much easier to cut. Remove the crust from the bread and then slice into even cubes. Pour the melted butter over the croûtons and mix.
Bake the croûtons for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir the croûtons once or twice to ensure even browning. Once done, season the croûtons with a bit more salt.
2
Preparing the Bacon
Ingredients
6 pieces thick-cut bacon
Slice the bacon into lardons.
Heat a fry pan over medium heat. Fry the bacon until it is done to your liking. Once done, drain the bacon, reserving a tablespoon or so of the fat. This will be used to make the vinaigrette.
3
Mixing the Vinaigrette
Ingredients
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reserved bacon fat
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp grape seed oil
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp sugar
To make the vinaigrette, mix together the mustard and white wine vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together. Check the seasoning, keeping in mind that the bacon fat may be quite salty.
4
Preparing the Lettuce
Ingredients
4 to 5 cups baby frisée lettuce (1 1/2 cups per person)
Clean the lettuce. Be sure to spin and/or dry the lettuce very well before dressing. Tear or cut the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Place into a large bowl.
5
Poaching Eggs
Ingredients
6 to 8 cups water
1 tsp table salt
1/8 cup vinegar
5 large eggs
To poach the eggs, it is best to use a pan that is at least 3 inches deep. Fill about three-quarters full with water and add the salt and vinegar.
Once the water comes to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to just below a simmer. Gently add the eggs one at a time. Cook the eggs to your desired doneness. For soft poached eggs this should take about 2 to 4 minutes.
6
Assembling the Salad
To assemble the salad, mix the lettuce with half of the croûtons and bacon. Then add about half of the dressing and gently toss to combine.
If needed, add the remaining dressing and toss again. Portion the salad onto each plate and garnish with some of the remaining croûtons and bacon. Top with one of the warm, poached eggs. Season with a bit of freshly-ground pepper and serve immediately.
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I made this last night substituting American leaf lettuce (couldn't find frisee anywhere in Calgary). It turned out well. My fiancee, who doesn't like eggs and enjoys egg yolks even less, to my surprise enjoyed it so much she ate the poached egg first, gobbeling up the yolk with the salad dressing and croutons.
This is a perfect meal in a dish, with lots of protien vegetables and dijon-y goodness. I will definitely make this again.
The combination of flavors and textures in this salad satisfies in every way. It's perfect for supper. My husband eyed askance at the frisee at first but was lured in by the bacon and never looked back. He wants it for dinner next week. I made the vinaigrette in the pan I cooked the bacon in so it would be warm when tossed over the frisee - delish.
This salad is SO decadent and fantastic! I've been holding off on making it for a few weeks (until I could find frisee in the store). I'm so glad I waited to find the frisee as I think the slight bitterness of the frisee is so important (being that the bacon, egg and even the butter flavored croutons are so rich). The dijon vinaigrette brought the pop of tartness/acid and perfectly balanced the salad! Definitely not a salad I would make everyday (as it isn't necessarily healthy), but I have to say, this is one of my all time favorites. My croutons needed about 15 minutes in the oven to become golden brown and crispy and my eggs were perfectly cooked (with runny yolk) at 3 minutes. I did cut my bacon pieces too small and cooked to crispy (next time, will cut larger and cook slightly less).
My husband is French, so he knows what a Salade Lyonnaise should taste like. He liked it so much that we are going to add it to our rotation of summer meals.
H L •The combination of flavors and textures in this salad satisfies in every way. It's perfect for supper. My husband eyed askance at the frisee at first but was lured in by the bacon and never looked back. He wants it for dinner next week. I made the vinaigrette in the pan I cooked the bacon in so it would be warm when tossed over the frisee - delish.
Sunnie S •This salad is SO decadent and fantastic! I've been holding off on making it for a few weeks (until I could find frisee in the store). I'm so glad I waited to find the frisee as I think the slight bitterness of the frisee is so important (being that the bacon, egg and even the butter flavored croutons are so rich). The dijon vinaigrette brought the pop of tartness/acid and perfectly balanced the salad! Definitely not a salad I would make everyday (as it isn't necessarily healthy), but I have to say, this is one of my all time favorites. My croutons needed about 15 minutes in the oven to become golden brown and crispy and my eggs were perfectly cooked (with runny yolk) at 3 minutes. I did cut my bacon pieces too small and cooked to crispy (next time, will cut larger and cook slightly less).