The perks of a healthy, but flavorful dish: fresh ingredients, seasonal veggies, and bacon. Yes, bacon.
The lyonnaise salad combines three key flavors: fresh lettuce, sweet apples, and a sinfully delicious bacon vinaigrette. The biggest challenge putting this dish together is poaching the required six eggs. But even that delicate task is made easy with the All-Clad d5 stainless steel pot that will quickly bring the eggs to the necessary heat for ideal yolky goodness. "[The other] key to this salad is the vinaigrette," says Chef Hugh Acheson. "When you put the egg on this salad you need a vinaigrette that has enough acid to deal with it. You must have that puckery bite or it becomes too laden."
Lyonnaise Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients -2 heads of frisee lettuce, cleaned and outer darker green leaves removed -2 red apples, thinly sliced -1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves -1 cup Bacon Vinaigrette (recipe follows) -1 teaspoon plus a pinch of kosher salt -1 tablespoon white vinegar -6 large eggs
Directions 1. In a large bowl combine the frisee, sliced apple, and parsley. 2. Place the Bacon Vinaigrette in a small pot and warm over medium heat for 2 minutes. 3. Season the salad with a pinch of salt and dress with 1/4 cup of the warm vinaigrette. Toss well and then split equally onto 6 plates. 4. Place a wide, shallow pot on the stove on medium-high heat and fill 2 inches with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat. 5. Add the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. 6. Crack the eggs individually into six small bowls and then carefully pour each egg into the water. 7. Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes depending on how soft you like your yolks. 8. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, dabbing the bottom of the spoon onto a kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture, and place a poached egg on top of each salad. 9. Finish each plate with a drizzle (about a tablespoon each) of the Bacon Vinaigrette.
Bacon Vinaigrette
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients -1/4 pound bacon, finely diced -1 tablespoon grain mustard -1/2 cup olive oil -1/4 cup sherry vinegar -1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice -2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley -Pinch of Kosher salt
Directions 1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp but not burnt, then remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon. S 2. Set the bacon strips, side by side, on a couple of paper towels. 3. Turn off the heat but save that bacon fat. 4. Place a medium bowl on a damp kitchen towel on the counter. 5. Add the mustard and slowly whisk in the olive oil. 6. Once the oil is incorporated, add the warm bacon fat, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and the cooked bacon. 7. Stir well and season with kosher salt.
