Frisee Aux Lardons

This is one of my favorite things to get when eating out at a nice neighborhood bistro.

Look, it might be a salad, but there is nothing light or delicate about this dish. Look at those chunks of bacon for god sakes.

Mmmm... bacon. In French gastro-speak the term lardons means any large piece of cooked, crispy bacon. In my own gastro-speak is means delicious.

This salad is nothing more than frisee and -- or aux if you want to be snooty about it -- bacon. I love it with a poached egg on top. Because 99.9% of the time an egg makes it better.

You get the dressing for the salad here from the warm bacon fat. Hold on... let me repeat that. You get the dressing here from the warm bacon fat. Then, the runny egg yolk mixes with that. Damn, I just got shivers writing about it!

The real trick with this is to serve the egg warm. Since they only take about 3 minutes to poach, you can start the egg when your bacon is done cooking. Then just make the dressing and toss it with the frisee at the end.

Once your bacon is cooked off, add your red onions to the fat and cook over low heat just to get them soft. Add your vinegar and whisk to combine. Just be careful! Don't put your face over the pan while you do this, or you'll get a face full of hot vinegar vapor that sucks the breath right out of you and makes your eyes water like your watching Rudy.
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Frisee aux Lardons with a Poached Egg
serves: 2
total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup slab bacon cut into 1/3-inch pieces (tip: you can use thick cut bacon for this, if needed)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1 head frisee, bottom cut off and pulled apart into pieces

For the poached eggs:
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 eggs
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
1.)  In a heavy-bottomed medium sauté pan over medium heat add olive oil and bacon. With a wooden spoon, saute until the bacon is crispy and golden brown, being careful not to burn. This takes about 7 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and reserve the rendered out fat

2.) Add red onions to the reduce bacon fat and saute for 1 minute until soft and translucent. 

3.) Add the sherry vinegar and whisk quickly to emulsify. Pour hot dressing over the frisee and toss thoroughly to combine. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Top with poached egg if you're feeling especially gluttonous.

4.)  For the eggs: In a 1.5 quart sauce pot bring 4 cups of water to a hard simmer. Add white vinegar. Break eggs into a small ramekin and slide the egg into the hot water. Use a slotted spoon to keep the whites around the yolk. Repeat with the other egg, making sure to keep them both seperate. Cook 3 minutes until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny. Remove and dab dry on a paper towel before topping the salad Tip: Fresher eggs have stronger whites and poach better.