A Different Sort of Egg Salad

Each Thursday, Emily Vikre (a.k.a fiveandspice) will be sharing a new way to love breakfast -- because breakfast isn't just the most important meal of the day. It's also the most awesome.

Today: Sometimes, a girl's just gotta feel French.

It’s one of those facts of life – sometimes a girl’s just gotta feel French. There are assorted means for accomplishing this, including wearing designer jeans and heels even though you’re taking out the trash or looking annoyingly elegant while eating a flaky, messy pain au chocolat. But when I need a fix, the one I use most often is eating a lunch of frisee salad topped with lardons and a poached egg, accompanied by a glass of wine. (Because of the whole wine at lunch thing, I don’t get my fix as often as I’d like, sigh.)

During one of these lunches last year, I had the sudden realization that if a salad makes a good vehicle for an egg at lunch, then a salad could also be my breakfast. Just switch the wine for a cup of coffee! Not only this, but salad as good egg vehicle holds true for other types of lettuce, not just frisee. Thus, a different sort of egg salad swiftly became a staple of my breakfast table.

I vary the lettuce and veggies according to what I have, but my current favorite is this one. I’ve been eating it weekly for about two months now and I plan on stopping only when I can’t get any more radishes. Lemony arugula, crisp rounds of radish, salty feta, and lots of sliced avocado turn out to be particularly delicious once coated in runny egg yolk. I may not feel French after I finish it, but I feel full and ready for my day.

Arugula, Avocado and Radish Salad with Poached Egg

Serves 1

3 handfuls of arugula
2 small radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ Tbs. lemon juice
¾ tablespoon olive oil
¼ of an avocado, sliced – at least. You can use more if you’d like, I won’t judge.
1 ½ tablespoons crumbled feta
1 large egg
Splash of vinegar
Salt and pepper

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by Emily Vikre