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Wandering amongst the many farmers’ produce stands at the market is a feast for the eyes. Knowing what to do with all of the fresh bounty, however, can sometimes be befuddling.
The good news is the fresh ingredients are there to help you out as their flavor is abundant, so very little is needed on the cook’s part to create delicious meals. Such is the case with a recipe I found in a cookbook that continues to be one of my favorites since I received it from a long-time TSLL reader from Britain (thank you again Sue xo). French trained and British-residing chef Raymond Blanc’s latest cookbook (did you know when you ride first class on EuroStar, it is his recipes that are served?! Yep!) Simply Raymond is full of recipes to enjoy and easy to make even though initially they may appear complicated upon looking at the mouth-watering finished results.
Upon reading his introduction for why he chose this particular recipe for the book, I realized, I too have many of these local ingredients available at my fingertips, so I decided to give it a try.
The recipe takes less than an hour to make, so prior to stepping into the kitchen pick up the following at your local farmers’ market:
- eggs
- salad greens – frisée, chicory, mixed greens, etc.
- sausage if possible, Andouille or Morteau (if you are in France), (you may have to pick this up or something similar at the grocery market)
- shallot
- new potatoes
While designated as a salad, this is most definitely a full and complete meal. Satiating and satisfying, find a favorite white wine or a rosé and chill while you cook and assemble this dish.
Enjoy alfresco, savoring the summer warmth under the shade from an umbrella, and be reminded of how everyday fresh ingredients can create a most delicious dining experience.
Simply Raymond: Recipes from Home by chef Raymond Blanc
Andouille Sausage Farmers’ Market Salad with Poached Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 Andouille Sausage Morteau was used by Blanc, but find a sausage with a smidge of spice and full of flavor.
- 3-6 large eggs, fresh from the farmers' market or your own farm!
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 head fresh salad greens, frisée, mixed greens, chicory, etc.
- 2-3 Tbsp freshly chopped chives
Dijon Mustard Dressing for Greens
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- pinch fleur de sel
- 1-2 Tbsp water (optional)
Potatoes dressed in white wine
- 10 small new potatoes (approximately 500 g)
- 1 small shallot
- 3-4 Tbsp white wine vinegar (@45 ml)
- 2 Tbsp dry white wine
- 3 bay leaves
- pinch fleur de sel
- pinch freshly ground white pepper
- 3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil (@45 ml)
Instructions
Greens & Mustard Dressing
- Select the salad bowl for the greens. To the bottom of the bowl, combine with a whisk the mustard, oil, vinegar, salt and water (optional). Place the roughly chopped salad greens on top of the dressing. Do not toss until you are ready to serve. Set aside.
Sausage and Potatoes
- Prepare the sausage by pricking with a fork. Find a medium to large sauce pan and oil with cold water. Place on the stovetop, place the sausage in the water and then turn on the heat, bringing to simmer. Once the water is simmering, add the potatoes (cleaned, not peeled) to the water with the sausages, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Once the 20 minutes has passed, remove the potatoes and let them cool slightly before slicing them into 'quarter-size' circles. Place the potatoes in a medium mixing bowl (they are now awaiting their dressing).
- With the heat on the pan with the sausages (and potatoes removed) turned off, leave the sausages and let them continue to cook in the residual heat for 20 minutes longer.
White Wine Potatoes
- Finely chop up the shallot. Place in a small saucepan and add the white wine vinegar, white wine, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Place on the stop top and bring to boil and let boil for a few seconds (10-15 only). Remove from the heat and add the vegetable oil. Whisk just to combine and then pour over the warm (now sliced) potatoes, keeping one tablespoon of the dressing to add to the salad greens.
Poached Eggs
- Raymond Blanc's approach works seamlessly for me, so I am sharing it step by step. The key is fresh eggs and gently putting the egg in the water.
- Select a large saucepan and fill with water (half way up the sides). Turn the heat to medium and bring the water to a simmer. Add the 2 Tbsp of white wine vinegar. Individually, crack one egg into a ramekin or small bowl. Place the ramekin (with the egg in it) just on the edge of the water and gently pour into the water. It will take about 3-4 minutes to poach. One trick I have found to be helpful is to find a large spoon (not slotted), and placing it in the water, making a circular motion around the egg as this helps the egg white remain with the egg at the beginning of the process especially if the egg is not as fresh. You can poach all eggs at once or one at a time. I chose the latter. 🙂
- Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel or kitchen towel to soak up water. Season with salt and pepper.
Putting It All Together
- The sausages will be done as you would have been making the potato dressing and poaching the eggs during the 20 minutes the sausage was resting in the warm water. Slice the sausages into circles about the same width as the potatoes, 'quarter-width'.
- Arrange the sausages and potatoes alternatively into a circle on each plate. (see pic)
- Before plating the salad, add the remaining one Tbsp of the potato white wine dressing to the salad greens bowl. Toss the greens with both dressing. Then place a small handful on top of each plate and the potato and sausage circle. (see pic)
- Place one or two eggs on top of each plate (on top of the salad greens). Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of freshly chopped chives on each salad.
- Pair with a glass of crisp white wine or rosé and enjoy as a meal, savoring the finds from the farmers' market. Bon Appétit!
~Explore all of TSLL’s Recipes in the Archives
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Looks lovely Shannon. Love the smokiness of the andouille sausage. I just love his cooking and his sense of humour. He was always on English television she I lived in England displaying his fantastic skills and was so entertaining to watch. I had the good luck to stay at his wonderful hotel Le Manoir aux Quatre Saisons in Oxfordshire set in stunning gardens. Everything was perfection. The hotel has an organic potager which.provides the vegetables for his exquisite dishes. If you ever get the chance to stay there you will not be disappointed. Kameela ?
Mmm. You hooked me with sausage, set the hook with new potatoes & reeled me in with a poached egg. All 3 are favourites of ours. One of the sad parts of moving is the friends you have to leave behind, & some of the friends I’ll miss after our recent move are the hens who laid the eggs we ate. They live on a small farm owned by (human) friends & we’d go out every week or so with table scraps for them; I quite literally knew them by name & got to know which eggs were laid by which hen. But I met a woman at the farmers’ market here who sells eggs & she’s invited us — and our table scraps — to her farm & told us she’ll introduce me to the hens personally 🙂 This recipe is definitely on my list of To Tries in the next month or two. Great photography, btw, Shannon. You always do such a good job of making the dishes you present us look so mouth-wateringly delicious!