Salade Lyonnaise

The other night I had some girlfriends over for dinner to celebrate Space Cadet’s birthday. Initially, Space Cadet just wanted to pick up some Taco Bell (has anyone tried the new quesalupa??), but my friend – who shall be known as Georgia from this point forth – and I were able to convince her to elevate the menu a little. I realized that I had all the necessary ingredients for a Salade Lyonnaise, which is basically a fancy breakfast salad. It’s pretty hard to screw up, as long as you nail the poached egg. Luckily for me, I assigned the egg poaching to Space Cadet and since she is a perfectionist they turned out wonderfully.

Salade Lyonnaise (serves 4)

• 1 lb of small fingerling potatoes (try the “Teeny Tiny Potatoes” from Trader Joe’s), halved
• 3 TB olive oil, divided
• 2 TB dry sherry
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 TB whole grain mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 bag of Trader Joe’s Crunciferous Crunch Collection
• 1 lb bacon, roughly chopped
• 4 eggs
• 4 tsp white vinegar, divided
• 1 TB chopped preserved lemon peel (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the potatoes in 1 TB olive oil, salt and pepper. Place them flat side down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping them half way through.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a medium jar or bowl, combine 2 TB olive oil, sherry, shallot and mustard. Season with salt and pepper then whisk to combine. Set aside to let flavors meld.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over a medium flame. Add bacon and cook, tossing often, for about 10-15 minutes or until your desired doneness. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the fat.

Divide the dressing equally into four shallow bowls. Add a cup of the Crunciferous Crunch Collection to each bowl, then top with equal portions of potatoes and bacon.

With about 10 minutes left to the potatoes, bring two medium pots of three inches of water to a low boil. Add a teaspoon of white vinegar (rice vinegar also works) to each pot. Crack each egg into a small dish or ramekin (do not break the yolk). Poaching two eggs at a time (one in each pot), use a rubber spatula to make a whirlpool in the pot, then carefully slide the egg into the center of the swirl. Use the spatula to keep the whites close to the yolk, and cook each egg for about 4 minutes. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and add to the top of the salad. Repeat with the other two eggs.

Top each egg with a touch of cracked pepper and a bit of preserved lemon. Serve and tell you’re guests to slice the egg and mix all the ingredients together, including the dressing on the bottom.

We all went nuts over this salad. It had enough protein for a dinner, but still leaves you feeling light and healthy. If you want to lighten it up more, use fresh frisee instead of the Trader Joe’s blend (though, I swear by Crunciferous Crunch Collection). I have to give big thanks to Space Cadet for mastering the poached eggs, as the whole salad would have been ruined if the eggs were runny or overcooked – no pressure.

I also have to give some credit to Canuck for telling me to preserve my own lemons three months ago, because I finally found an opportunity to use one! Just a bit of preserved lemon peel in this dish adds some salty bitterness that compliments the dressing well. In fact, you could probably just add it directly into the dressing. Note: if you’re going to preserve your own lemons, I recommend using Meyer lemons and incorporating 3 parts salt and 1 part sugar, plus cinnamon stick, peppercorn, whole clove and fennel seed. Once ready to use, rinse, remove the flesh, and rinse again. 

We enjoyed this salad with a Twomey Sauvignon Blanc and a Ram’s Gate Syrah – both incredibly different wines but each of them paired deliciously with the salad. In fact, I think this salad would pretty much go with anything, especially your closest silly girlfriends.

 

Mmmm… STEAK!

Steak can actually be quite healthy if lean, not marinated in tons of oil or sugary sauces, and had in moderation. I didn’t quite realize this until recently when I started preparing steak for myself. One of my favorite types of steak is Flank because it’s relatively inexpensive, versatile with different marinades, and pretty lean. Plus, it doesn’t take long to cook! You can grill, broil or braise it, but I prefer my Flank steak grilled. I don’t have a charcoal or gas grill, but I do have my handy grill pan!

To keep my steak healthy while still giving it a lot of flavor, I chose a miso marinade from Bon Appetit and marinated the steak for about 30 hours. You could do anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight, but I prefer longer marination because you get more flavor.

Miso-Marinated Flank Steak (serves 4)

• 1 1/2 pound grass-fed beef flank steak
• 1/4 cup white or yellow miso
• 1 TB Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Using a food processor, chop garlic and ginger. Add the miso, mustard, salt and pepper and process to combine. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady drip. Taste for seasoning.

Spread the marinade evenly on all sides of the steak. Wrap in cellophane or put in tupperware, and put in the fridge for your desired marination time. Remove some of the excess marinade before cooking.

Remove the steak from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking to let it come to room temperature (this will help it cook evenly). Heat your grill pan over a medium-high flame until very hot – like, smoking. Spray with a touch of olive oil or cooking spray. For a medium-well steak grill for 12 minutes, turning half way through. For a rarer steak, grill for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the grill and let sit for ten minutes on the cutting board. Cut against the grain into thin strips.

I served my steak on a bed of arugula dressed with Sherry and shallot vinaigrette: 2 TB dry Sherry, 2 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp lemon juice, diced shallot, 1 tsp mustard, salt and pepper. Arugula and steak are always a great pair, and the shallots and sherry provided a sharpness that matched well with the miso flavor. I also had a cup of some leftover carrot soup that GGD made last night (and graciously let me take some home), which I highly recommend. It was the best soup and salad combo I’ve had in a while!

Even though steak is often paired with a red wine, this meal would go better with a full-bodied white wine (Viognier or Gewürztraminer) or a darker Rose. These off-dry wines will pair nicely with the Asian flavors in the miso.