Serves 4
2 cups 1/2-inch bread cubes cut from country-style bread
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 slices bacon, thinly sliced crosswise into lardons
2 tablespoons minced shallot
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups ripped frisée, baby arugula, or shredded Tuscan kale
4 large eggs
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1- by 2-inch pieces
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Toss the bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large bowl. Spread them in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan and bake them on the middle shelf of the oven until they are lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Let them cool.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the
bacon to paper towels to drain; crumble the bacon when cooled. Discard all but 1
tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan and add the shallots. Cook over medium heat,
scraping up the brown bits, until the shallots have softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove
from the heat and whisk in the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the
remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan in a stream, whisking.
Add 2 inches of water to a deep, straight-sided skillet and bring it to a boil. Break an egg into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Tilt the egg around in the strainer and bang the strainer a few times on top of the bowl to let all the loose egg white fall through the strainer. (This ensures that the poached egg has no straggly white; if you don’t mind straggly whites, skip this step.) Repeat with the remaining eggs, transferring the drained eggs to individual ramekins or small bowls. Discard the loose whites. When the water has come to a boil, remove the saucepan from the heat, very gently slide the eggs into the water, and cover the pan. Poach the eggs in the residual heat for 11/2 to 2 minutes or until they have reached the desired degree of doneness. Transfer to a shallow bowl with a slotted spoon.
Warm the dressing on low heat. Toss the lettuce with the warm dressing in a large bowl and divide it among 4 plates. Top each portion with one-fourth of the croutons, one-fourth of the salmon, and a poached egg.
