My Favorite Way to Eat Salad: Lots of Bacon

A weekly dispatch from Bon Appétit's editor-in-chief. [View this email in your browser]( [Bon Appétit Newsletter Banner Pink]( All Salads Should Be Covered in Bacon So there I was at Chez Georges, a little pewter pitcher of [chilled Beaujolais]( in front of me, along with a crock of [pork rillettes]( a tub of cornichons, a basket of sliced baguette, a block of unsalted butter, and a little ceramic container of Dijon mustard. Oh, and also a big serve-yourself bowl of [lightly dressed lentils](. If I’d been any happier, they might have had to throw me out. This was last Thursday. I was in [Paris]( for a wham-bam, 48-hour business trip, and I had managed to sneak away for a [solo lunch](. Which, if you ask me, is the best kind. It’s all about you. Georges is an obvious, but never disappointing, choice for such a meal. It’s a bistro that looks exactly like what every American wants a Paris bistro to look like: mosaic-tiled floor, burgundy-leather banquettes, tilted mirrors, waitresses who’ve been there forever, tiny tables jammed together like a row of dominos. If you ever read [RW Apple]( back in the day, that’s the Paris you’re walking into. On my 45-minute walk there (I figured I’d burn off the calories before I sat down to eat), I decided I’d keep it “light” that day. Relatively speaking. So, in addition to the rillettes and lentils and all that, I ordered a salad for my main course. A [frisée-lardons]( to be specific. It’s right up there with a [Cobb]( on the list of Top 5 Salads That Aren’t Remotely Good for You (But in the Best Possible Way). A [poached egg](. A tangle of frisée. Chives. Warm shallot vinaigrette. And an embarrassment of lardons, or what one might call [bacon nubbins](. I like mine real crispy on the outside, but still a bit juicy within. But as Ludo Lefebvre describes in this [spot-on frisée lardons video]( this isn’t exactly the French way. They prefer their bacon like their steak—more underdone than what most of us might be used to. I was thinking about this as I cut into one of the sizable lardons, meaty and juicy like a ham steak, and wondered if next time I should be the pesky American and ask for my lardons extra crispy. (And I then texted my friend Roo to ask him how to say 'extra crispy' in French. “Lardon crustillant, or lardon bien-cuit,” he promptly replied.) I have to admit that I also ordered a plate of frites to dredge through the vinaigrette and the split egg yolk that collect beneath the frisée, because how can you not? The fries at Georges are particularly good—creamy, almost sweet potatoes that fry up golden and crisp. Having savored every bite of my lunch, I’m happy to report that I did say no to dessert. Because, you know, I was keeping it light and all. Get the recipes: [Frisée-Lardon Salad]( [Marinated Lentils]( [Pork Rillettes]( What do you think of the BA newsletter? Send us your thoughts at staff.bonappetit@gmail.com. [Ad content]( [Ad content]( [Ad content]( GET THE MAGAZINE [Bon Appétit] [SUBSCRIBE]( This e-mail was sent to you by Bon Appetit. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, [bonappetit@newsletters.bonappetit.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.