Put an Egg on It: BLT Salad Edition

Today is a really exciting day. I'm kicking off my "Put an Egg on It" series here on Dishes! Inspired by the Portlandia sketch "Put a Bird on It," this recipe series will celebrate my relatively newfound love of fried eggs. They're cheap, delicious, full of protein, most vegetarians eat them...and did I mention they're cheap?


 Runny egg yolks used to gross me out. Now I love them. Why the change of heart? One word--bacon. When I was in France a few years ago, I went out to lunch with a fellow American on the trip (hi Alix!), her student host, and the host student's father. Ordering in French was fine--I saw "Frisee aux Lardons," or curly bitter salad greens with porcine yumminess on the menu, and I felt set. Imagine my horror when my lunch arrived with two jiggly eggs on top! I had just started picking around them when Alix's father gave me an accusing look--"That's obviously the best part, and you're not going to EAT it?"--that I couldn't ignore. So I sighed, and pricked the eggs with my fork until the yolk began to drip down the salad. Taking an apprehensive bite, I was ready to hate it.


Wrong. So, so wrong.


The silky yolks were the perfect complement to the crispy bitter tangles of endive, chunks of crunchy bacon, and vinegary bite of the warm dressing.  This is by far my favorite salad, and it's pretty easy to recreate without fancy ingredients and with minimal effort. I ate it as brunch, but it's another one of those dishes that you will love anytime...including right now!! Put an egg on it!

Mise en place: bitter greens, such as arugula or curly endive (though spring mix will do in a pinch), an egg, cherry tomatoes, a little red wine vinegar, and chopped bacon. Helpful tip: freeze your bacon before chopping for 15 minutes. It will firm up and be much easier to cut! The Sunday New York Times in the background that you know you'll never get around to reading is totally optional.

First, cook your bacon over high heat in a small nonstick pan until crispy. It will smell delicious. 

Muffin will give you this accusing look. Resist! You must resist!

When the bacon is crisp, remove it from the heat. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on salad. Pour off all excess fat except for about a tablespoon. Let the pan cool for about a minute, then add red wine vinegar, which will quickly boil. If you're feeling fancy, you can gussy up the dressing with a bit of garlic or mustard just before adding the vinegar. But I like to keep it simple. Let the vinegar boil for a few seconds, then pour the warm dressing over the salad greens, which should begin to wilt. 

Now this is the hard part. Walk away from the yummy-looking salad--we have to put an egg on it! Using the same pan you made the bacon/dressing in, melt a tablespoon of butter. When it begins to sizzle, crack an egg into the pan. Using a spatula, gently push the whites towards the yolk to keep it from spreading out too much. When most of the whites are set...

Flip it over and let it cook for another 15 seconds. Remove from the pan and place atop the salad. 

Top with salt and pepper. Break the yolk and mix into the salad to complete the dressing. Eat. Be happy. But most of all...put an egg on it!




Put an Egg on It: BLT Salad Edition

• 1 1/2 cups salad greens: curly endive, arugula, or spring mix
• 1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes 
• 2 strips bacon, chopped (slab bacon is great, lardons are better, but regular bacon will do)
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper

1. Place greens and tomatoes in a serving bowl.
2. In a non-stick pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and place atop salad. Pour off all fat except for 1 tablespoon. Add red wine vinegar and let boil 5 seconds. Pour warm dressing over salad.
3. In the same pan, melt butter until sizzling. Crack egg into the pan and fry, turning over once the whites are set. 
4. Top salad with egg. Add salt and pepper. Makes one delicious salad.