Poached Egg Salad

This is one of my favorite brunch or luncheon dishes. I first had a version of it at L'Ancestral restaurant in Travis Walk, and I've found that many restaurants will make it for you if you ask. It's really just a green salad topped with a poached egg and vinaigrette. Of course, the devil is as usual in the details!

I prefer Bib, Boston, or Butter lettuce -- the leaves of these lettuces are soft yet firm enough to stand up to the egg, and flavorful  without overpowering the egg. Chopped arugula, chopped romaine, or spinach would be good -- really any kind of lettuce or salad greens. To my taste the greens need no further adornment than the egg and vinaigrette, but chopped celery, chopped chives, minced ham, shredded salmon or chicken, or crumbled bacon are nice additions if you like.

The perfect accompaniment is a thick slice of tomato, but only if you can find a really good tomato. The tomato can be drizzled with the vinaigrette, also, and I like to top both egg and tomato with chopped parsley (and maybe a sprinkle of paprika or cayenne on the egg). I have the tomato on the side, but you could have it under the egg on the salad. If you can't find a good tomato, a slice of orange or pineapple or some other fruit would be nice, too.

Any vinaigrette is good with this, but I think the best is a tart lemon vinaigrette made with lots of lemon, a very good olive oil and just a dab of dijon mustard with sea salt and white pepper -- the crisp & tangy flavor balances well with the richness of the egg -- when you cut into the egg, the yolk really becomes part of the dressing.

Well, that's it -- just add some toast and you're done!