Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 4 oz frisee (115g, approx 4 cups; sometimes called curly endive)
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 slice bread (country style, slightly stale if possible (optional))
  • 2 oz smoked bacon (60g, slab bacon if possibly or relatively thick cut, good quality smoked bacon. Pancetta is also good)
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 eggs

Instruction

  • Break the frisee into roughly bite-sized pieces and finely dice/mince the shallot. Remove the crusts from the bread, if using, and cut into small dice. Set a pan of water to boil to poach the eggs and put each egg in a small bowl.
  • Cut the bacon into slices and fry over a medium-high heat until gently crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet, and set it aside to drain any excess fat.
  • Add the shallot to the pan and cook over medium heat for a couple minutes until softened. Remove the onion to a small bowl, along with around 1tbsp of the fat, leaving a little fat in the skillet.
  • Toast the bread in the remaining fat until gently crisp on both sides.
  • Meanwhile, add the red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard to the warm bacon fat and whisk gently to emulsify. You can either toss the frisee with the dressing then divide between plates, or drizzle the dressing over the finished salad.
  • Also meanwhile, poach the eggs by adding the white vinegar to the boiling water. You can poach the eggs as you prefer, but some suggest swirling the water then add an egg to the middle of the swirl. Once it starts to set, add the other egg. Poach them to around 2-3 minutes until the whites are white but the yolks are still soft.
  • Divide the frisee between two plats, top with the bacon pieces and add the croutons (if using) and egg on top. Drizzle over the dressing if not already mixed with the frisee, and serve.