In Lyon, fat remains king, which makes it a pleasure to eat there—assuming you can put your guilt aside. This salad is best made with a mixture of greens, some of which should be bitter, like dandelion. The poached egg (which ideally will be hot) softens everything, the bacon provides salt, crunch, and fat, the vinegar spices it all up—the combination is really a treat. One of my favorite lunches and a knockout first course, which should be followed by something light.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

　　1/4 to 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　1 tablespoon chopped shallot

　　6 cups mixed salad greens

　　About 1/4 cup top-quality red wine vinegar

　　1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　4 Poached Eggs (page 337)

　　1 cup small Croutons (page 580), optional

　　

Step 1

Place the olive oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the bacon and cook slowly until it is crisp all over, 10 minutes or more. Add the shallot and cook for a minute or two longer, until the shallot softens. Keep the bacon warm in the skillet.

　　

Step 2

Heat a salad bowl by filling it with hot water and letting it sit for a minute. Dry it and toss in the greens. Add the vinegar and mustard to the skillet and bring just to a boil, stirring. Pour the liquid and the bacon over the greens and season to taste; they shouldn’t need much salt.

　　

Step 3

Divide the salad among 4 plates. Top each portion with a poached egg, sprinkle with croutons if you’re using them, and serve immediately.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.