You don’t usually see me excited about a salad. Don’t get me wrong, I eat salad all the time, but as a side dish. And it’s not like I’ll go to a restaurant and be like: “I’ll have the salad because I’ve been craving it all week!”. But then the Lyonnaise Salad came into my life and all my pre conceptions were shattered! I guess it helps that there is a lot of bacon involved. And a beautiful poached egg! Confession alert: this was the first time I’ve ever poached an egg. I think it looks pretty good for a first timer, don’t you think? (Please say yes!) But you know what’s my favorite thing about this salad? The vinaigrette, who is made with the bacon fat, shallots, Dijon mustard, vinegar and olive oil. I seriously could drink that stuff! (Me? Weird? No, you’re weird! ?)
It is fun to see one’s reaction when this impressive salad is presented in front of them. But it is only after the poached egg is punctured, and the rich and yellow runny yolk streams through the greens, that things get really food porn serious.
I wonder how many Instagram videos of that precious moment are out there. You know, when the person cuts a little of the poached egg and you see the yolk oozing and we are all like ooh and aah as if we’ve never seen an egg before. I bet there are a lot! (In fact, I am responsible for a few of them! #yolkporn)
Lyonnaise Salad is often served with croutons made of brioche, but I served mine with some crispy and toasted French baguette slices. It soaked the dressing and the running yolk perfectly, making this salad even more indulgent. I also added some shaved Gruyère cheese, because I had some leftovers from the Gougeres I made the other day. It is not called for in the traditional recipe, but you won’t see me turning down cheese. Especially Gruyère! No. Never! Impossible!
If you’re a Lyonnaise Salad snob, I know you are probably outraged that I didn’t use the right kind of greens. My store never has frisée, so I went with the closest I could find, which they called Curly Endive. It is crisp and bitter as frisée and it retains its shape even after pouring the warm dressing. If you can’t find any of these, you can also use escarole, which is a little milder but has a slightly different texture. And I guess that’s all I have to say today. This is the last one of my French recipes for Bastille Day, but I’m coming back tomorrow with a fun round up of French dishes you gotta try. I hope you guys love this salad. I would describe it as French bistro meets comfort food. Yep, that right there is the perfect definition of a Lyonnaise Salad! ❤️ Enjoy!
For this recipe, I recommend:
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