Spinach Salad with Fried Egg, Bacon and Mushrooms
(from Metro Cooks’s recipe box)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4 people
Categories: Salad
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1-inch by 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces shiitake or cremini mushrooms or a mixture of both, stemmed and sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus more as needed
- 1 large egg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces fresh spinach leaves (about 8 cups loosely packed), stemmed
Directions
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Heat a saute pan glazed with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon pieces and saute them until they develop a crispy exterior but remain tender on the inside, adjusting the heat as necessary, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove about 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat and reserve on the side.
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d the shallots to the pan and saute until soft, another minute or 2. Add the mushrooms, and once they begin to soften, after about 2 minutes, add the stock, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the liquid comes to a boil. Reduce the pan liquid by half.
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Add the balsamic vinegar, bring to a simmer and then remove the pan from the heat. Taste the pan sauce looking for a proper balance of fat and acidity. If the sauce tastes too fatty, add another dash of balsamic. If it’s too acidic, correct it with additional extra-virgin olive oil.
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Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Glaze the pan with the reserved bacon fat and crack in the egg, taking care not to break the yolk. Sprinkle the egg with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Fry the egg gently until the white is cooked through but the yolk remains runny.
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Place the spinach in a large bowl. Pour the warm dressing, with the bacon and mushrooms, over the spinach and toss until the leaves are wilted and coated.
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Top the salad with the fried egg and cut it into bite-size pieces as you toss the salad, incorporating the yolk into the dressing. Divide the spinach salad among 4 plates and serve.
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