Bistrot Margot Salade Lyonnaise

1. Wash the greens, spin dry, and tear into bite-size pieces. Place greens in a large bowl, cover with a (paper or cloth) towel, and refrigerate up to several hours until you are ready to assemble the salad.

2. Brown diced Pancetta in a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a towel to drain. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of the drippings to mix in the dressing.

3. (Optional) Rub each of the bread slices with the cut side of a piece of the garlic. Turn the heat on the bacon fat to medium high. Turn each slice of bread quickly in the hot fat until browned, about 30 seconds per side. Add olive oil to the skillet as necessary. Cut or tear toasts into bite-size pieces and set aside until ready to assemble salad. Alternatively, you can serve croutons made with baked thin slices of baguette brushed with butter or olive oil. You might even garnish with a very small amount of good caviar to make it really special!

4. Combine dressing ingredients along with the teaspoon of drippings from the Pancetta. Alternatively, I combine 2 t. of Champagne or tarragon vinegar, a good squeeze of lemon, 3 t. Olive oil and 1 t. Walnut oil. Mix in 1 T. minced shallot or about 2 T. minced green onion and 1 T. minced parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper (keep in mind the Pancetta lardons will add saltiness to the salad).

5. Remove the crisped greens from refrigerator and uncover. Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs, cutting the whites into small pieces - similar to a julienne. Sieve the egg yolks and incorporate half in the dressing, reserving the other half for garnishing the salad. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss until well coated. Spoon dressed greens onto 4 serving plates. Sprinkle salads with 1/4 of the bacon strips and egg whites and crouton (or arrange toasted slices/croutons on the side). Garnish with sieved egg yolk and additional minced parsley. Serve immediately.