Frisée with Poached Egg and Warm Bacon

This salad exists because of timing. The frisée must be crisp and alive when the warm vinaigrette hits it. The bacon must be rendered but still have presence. The egg must tremble, its yolk ready to become another layer of dressing the moment your fork breaks through.

Look for frisée that has not been sitting in plastic. The pale yellow hearts should be tightly furled, the outer leaves springy and slightly bitter when you taste one raw. If the tips are brown or the whole head feels limp, keep walking. A tired green cannot be revived, and this salad depends on that aliveness.

The Lyonnaise tradition calls for lardons, thick matchsticks of cured pork belly. If you have access to good slab bacon from a farmer who raises pigs properly, use it. The fat will be cleaner, the meat more flavorful. This fat becomes your vinaigrette, enriched with sharp vinegar and a touch of Dijon. Do almost nothing else. Let things taste of what they are.

Every meal is a meaningful choice. A salad this simple reveals its ingredients completely. There is nowhere to hide.