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Wednesday 4th September 2019Poached Egg, Asparagus and Bacon Salad
- 100g asparagus spears, snapped where they break naturally to remove woody ends
- 1 table spoon olive oil
- 100g smoked lardons
- 150g mushrooms (preferably chesnut), wiped and halved
- 4 duck eggs
- Crushed sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 50g (handful) watercress, washed and destalked
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Place the asparagus spears in a single layer on a small roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
In a small non-stick pan, fry the lardons for 4 minutes over a high heat until golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm. Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms. Fry in the fat from the lardons for 4 minutes. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan if there isn’t enough fat from the lardons. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Poach the duck eggs by cracking them individually into cups and dropping them into a pan of simmering water. Simmer for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Arrange the asparagus spears on serving plates, top with the poached eggs. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Scatter over the lardons, mushrooms and watercress leaves. Drizzle over any remaining juices from the frying pan.