Categories: asparagus, bacon, boiled eggs, salad, sides

Ingredients

• For the Salad:
• 4 extremely cold eggs
• Half a bunch of asparagus, trimmed
• 4 large strips of bacon
• 3 handfuls baby salad greens
• 1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts or walnuts (optional)
• For the Dressing:
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (my addition, I like some bright acid to complement the deep, rich sherry vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (Dorie’s recipe is for 1 tbsp evoo, 1 tbsp hazelnut oil)
• pinch of sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dijon, vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

2. Bring a medium saucepan of well salted water to a low boil. One by one, gently lower the eggs down with a spoon. Have your timer ready for 6 minutes, you don’t want them to boil for any longer. Remove pan from heat and set directly under cold running water in your sink. Continue running until the pan’s water is completely cold. Leave them here in the cold water until you’re ready for them.

3. In a medium skillet, bring salted water to a simmer. Drop in the asparagus and simmer for 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness, until they’ve lost their crunch but arn’t mushy. Remove and pat dry on paper towels.

4. Dump out the water, place the dry skillet over medium heat and lay in the bacon. Cook the bacon over medium-low heat, flipping as needed until golden and crisp. Remove the strips and let drain on paper towels. Turn the heat off, but leave the skillet on the burner.

5. To assemble the salad, toss the lettuce in 3/4 of the dressing and place on a platter, topping it with some fresh cracked pepper and salt. Roll the asparagus in the remaining dressing and layer over top the greens. Chop the bacon into bits and sprinkle around platter.

6. When you’re ready to serve, very, very gently peel the eggs. Take your time with it, as the eggs are soft and delicate. Rinse off any bits of shell and pat them dry. Gently spoon them into the bacon drippings skillet over medium heat and gingerly roll them around in the bacon fat until they’re covered and allow them to get just a hit of golden brown on each side. You don’t want them in the pan for more than 2 minutes. With a spoon, place them overtop the salad and serve immediately. Make sure you have some nice flaky sea salt and additional black pepper for your guests to season their eggs as they like.

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