Jean-François Piège’s Frisée Salad with Lardons

Playful, fresh, and irresistibly delicious, frisée salad with lardons is a timeless French classic everyone loves. At La Poule au Pot, chef Jean-François Piège brings this bistro favorite to life with authentic flavors and a touch of indulgence. To celebrate the 90th anniversary of this Parisian institution tucked behind the Bourse de Commerce, the Michelin-starred chef is releasing his cookbook Ma cuisine française à La Poule au Pot with Hachette Cuisine—featuring this crowd-pleasing recipe you’ll want to serve at your next dinner.

• 1 fine frisée lettuce

• 1 frisée with thick ribs

• 80 g sourdough bread

• 4 slices pork belly (1 cm thick)

• 2 cl vegetable oil

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tbsp pork or meat jus

• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

• 4 poached eggs

• 3 tbsp sherry mustard vinaigrette

• ¼ bunch chives

• Fleur de sel, fine salt, freshly ground pepper

1. Wash and dry the frisée, keeping only the lightest leaves.

2. Cut the sourdough crumb into small cubes.

3. In a large pan, brown the pork belly slices with the garlic in vegetable oil. Once golden on both sides, drain on a rack while reserving the juices. Cut into chunky lardons.

4. In the rendered fat, toast the bread cubes, then drain.

5. Deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar, add the lardons and pork jus, season with pepper, and set aside.

6. Reheat the poached eggs in 80 °C water for 2–3 minutes. Drain, season with fleur de sel and pepper.

7. Toss the frisée with vinaigrette, salt, pepper, and chopped chives. Add the croutons.

8. Arrange the salad in bowls, top with warm lardons, and finish with a poached egg. Serve immediately.

Dish photo: Charly Deslandes / Restaurant photo: Hervé Goluza

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