Even though this salad looks light and airy, it is substantial and filling.

This dish is a staple in French cafes, bistros and brasseries where it is known as “Frisee avec Lardons et Gastrique,” which translated it’s essentially the title of this post.

Frisee is related to chickory and has a mild and earthy flavor.  It’s most often included in mescalun and spring mix greens.  There’s also a chew factor here which accounts for the salad being filling and satisfying, despite it’s look. 

Don’t let the size of a head of frisee fool you–there’s lots of leaves in that tight, compact little ball.  Once you cut off the root end and separate the leaves, there’s tons of it.

If you’d prefer to add some different salad greens, go right ahead!  The dressing and the bacon bits make this salad so get creative!

• 1 head frisee, separated and washed/dried
• 6 oz slab bacon, diced or 6 oz thick-cut bacon diced
• 2 tbs light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• salt to taste.

Place a pile of the cleaned frisee in the center of each (4) salad plate.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until it’s nicely browned and crispy.  Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon; set aside.  Let the bacon drippings cool slightly in the pan.

Divide the cooked diced bacon evenly over each mound of frisee

In a small saucepan, add the brown sugar and the champagne vinegar; stir.  Reduce by 50% over medium heat, until slightly syrupy.  Add this syrup to the reserved and slightly cooled bacon drippings.  Stir well and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of the dressing over each mound of salad on the plates and serve immediately.