Poached Egg Salad

After two weeks of traveling and lots of dining out at restaurants, it is time to get back to reality. This was the first meal that I prepared when we returned home. Sometimes I just crave greens, and the croutons and poached egg on this salad make it feel like more of a meal.

Since the salad is topped with a poached eggs, with a runny yolk, I made the salad dressing more acidic than I normally would. The rich egg yolk blended nicely with the salad and added a creaminess to the dish. This makes a great brunch or lunch. If you want to save yourself some time you can use olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of making the dressing.

Bacon would be great on this salad, I just didn’t have any.

Serves: 2
Total Time: 20 minutes

You will need:
2 slices of Bread
1 tablespoon Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
dash of Parsley
3 cups Arugula
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon White Vinegar

For the Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinaigrette
dash of Salt and Pepper

Step 1:
Prepare the croutons. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice the crust off the slices of bread, and slice the bread into cubes. Place the butter and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cubed bread and toss it in the butter and oil until it is evenly coated. Then toss in some salt and pepper, the Parmesan, and the Parsley. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for about 7 minutes, and then flip the croutons. Once the croutons are golden brown, remove them from the oven and let cool.

Step 2:
While the croutons are toasting, prepare the salad. In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing. Place the arugula in a large bowl and gradually add dressing to the greens until you have added the amount you desire.

Step 3:
Poach the eggs. Add 2 inches of water to a skillet, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and bring to a slow boil.  Then crack an egg into a small bowl – make sure the yolk does not break.  Once the water has boiled, gently lower the egg into the water.  If the egg white spreads out too much you can pull it back together with a spoon.  Repeat putting up to 4 eggs in one pan. After 2 minutes carefully make sure that the egg is not stuck to the bottom of the pan and roll the egg over.  Cook for 3-4 minutes total depending on how runny you like your eggs. Click on the video tab at the top of this page to view a video demonstration.

Step 4:
Assemble the salad. Divide the greens into two bowls, top with the croutons, and then add a poached egg on top.