Salade Lyonnaise aux Petite Lardons

In the US, dandelions have a bad rap.  This dandelion and bacon salad with a poached egg can be found in every restaurant in Lyon.

•     A handful of fresh frisee lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
•     2 strips bacon
•     1 teaspoon chopped shallots
•     1 slice French or Italian bread and a little butter to make buttered croutons
•     1 Poached egg
•     1 Tbsp olive oil
•     1 Tbsp wine vinegar
•     1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
•     Salt and pepper to taste
• fried slab bacon, crispy
• 4 eggs poached for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Cook two strips of bacon on medium heat until done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let drain of excess fat on a paper towel. Once cool, chop.

2 Cut a slice of French or Italian bread into cubes. Toast on medium high heat in a small saucepan with a teaspoon of melted butter. Do not stir bread unless to turn to a different side once one side is toasted.

3 Poach egg your favorite way. See how to poach an egg for our recommendation on the easiest way to do it.

4 Layer the frisée, bacon, shallots, and croutons on each salad plate. In a small jar, mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad. Top with the crispy fried bacon and poached egg.