Frisée Salad with Bacon, Egg, and Garlic Croutons

If you love bacon and eggs, you will love this salad. What the eater should do is break the egg with his or her knife and fork and toss the salad on the plate before eating it!

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 Tbs. butter
  • 3 Tbs. olive oil
  • 4 slices country-style bread, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces
  • 6 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 Tbs. red (or white) wine vinegar
  • 5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 6 cups frisée lettuce (or mixed greens or spring mix)

Directions

To make the croutons, in a wide frying pan, cook the garlic in a mixture of olive oil and butter. When brown discard the garlic, and toss in the bread all at once. Continue cooking over medium heat and tossing until lightly toasted on all sides. Remove from pan.

To cook the bacon, fry it in a wide pan until light brown, drain on paper towels, and cut or break the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Pour the bacon grease into a pyrex measuring cup.

Wash and dry the greens if necessary. Meanwhile, mix together 1/4 cup of the bacon grease, with the vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper in a large metal bowl.

When ready to serve, warm four salad plates, and lightly fry four eggs in the same pan the bacon was cooked in. Warm the metal bowl of vinaigrette over another burner. Put it on the counter, add the greens, the croutons, and the bacon. Toss well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the salad on the warmed plates, making sure the croutons and bacon are visible. Top with each salad with an egg and a sprinkling of salt.

Serve warm.

Serves 4.