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Salade Paysanne

In classic cookery terminology, the term ‘paysanne’ doesn’t really denote any one thing in particular, or more accurately, it can mean any number of things. It usually refers to there being some form of bacon or ham included and often, but not always, potatoes. If something is described as ‘paysanne’ it also, for obvious reasons of translation, gives the impression of being relatively modest to produce in terms of cost. It might, therefore, include cheap cuts of meat such as offal, along with the obligatory bacon or ham, or even leftovers.

At Chez Bruce we have for many years served this rather spectacular (although I say so myself) warm salad as a kind of porky, offaly, fowly extravaganza of a starter. Yes, that’s right – a starter! The following inventory is rather lengthy, so please feel free to leave things out as you wish, but for the full monty, this is the way to go. In addition, we occasionally add deep-fried calf’s brains or sautéed foie gras. It is also only fair to point out that this is quite an involved and ‘restauranty’ dish. The various steps are by no means difficult, but there are quite a few of them. Perhaps this is best attempted when you have plenty of time on your hands and you feel like testing your culinary timing skills. A helper at plating time would also be welcome.

Serves 8 as a starter

4 lambs’ tongues (optional)

8 thin slices of prosciutto or pancetta

8 Rosevale potatoes or other waxy varieties, such as Ratte or Charlotte, washed but not peeled

50g unsalted butter, plus a litle extra to cook the quail eggs

1 leg of duck confit and a little duck fat

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 duck breasts, fat scored neatly

50g pancetta lardons

8 quail eggs (optional)

150g fine French beans, cooked and refreshed in iced water

1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

about 24 freshly cooked croûtons

2 large heads of frisée lettuce, yellow leaves picked and washed

1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

½ bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves picked and chopped

Vinaigrette

Sweet Mustard Dressing

Rinse the lambs’ tongues, if using, and cover in cold water. Bring to a trembling simmer and poach until cooked – for about 2 hours. A skewer or small, sharp knife will slide in and out easily when the tongues are ready. Cool a little and, as soon as you are able to handle the hot tongues, skin them and reserve in some of the poaching liquor, discarding the skins. As with the cooking of the duck leg, this can be done the day before.

Set the oven to 150°C. Place the prosciutto or pancetta slices on a wire rack – a wire mesh for cooling cakes is ideal for this – and cook in the oven until crisp. This should take about 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Slice each potato lengthways into three or four 5mm slices – no thicker. Melt the butter and duck fat together gently in a large non-stick pan that will accommodate all the potato slices in one neat layer – add them flat (cut) side down. Bring the pan up to a medium heat so that the butter begins to foam, then season the whole pan well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and continue to cook the potatoes gently in this way on the stove until golden on the bottom and softened in the centre. This should take about 25 minutes and the spuds should not require turning, as they cook by absorption. Once done, keep warm.

As the spuds are cooking, season the duck breasts well on both sides and place in a second, non-stick pan, fat-side down. Place on a low heat and, as the fat renders from the breast, baste all the while. After 10 minutes or so, the fat still attached to the breast should be a pleasing golden colour and the meat should still be soft, but not raw to the touch. Take off the heat, flip the breasts over and rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes or longer until required for the rest of the dish. Fry the lardons gently in a little of the rendered duck fat until cooked, about 5 minutes, then keep warm. Slice the lambs’ tongues in half lengthways and warm gently in a small pan with the tongue liquor. Shred the duck confit and warm gently on a plate in the oven for 5 minutes.

To assemble the salad, everything needs to be ready and at the correct temperature and you need to work quickly to prevent the finished salad from becoming cold. Warm the plates (no need to be hot, just warm). If using the quail eggs, fry gently in a little butter without turning; season and keep warm. Slice the duck breasts thinly and add to a large, ideally warmed, mixing bowl. Add the French beans, potatoes, garlic, shallots, tongues, lardons, duck confit, croûtons, frisée leaves and herbs. Phew! Season the whole lot well with salt and pepper and, using your scrupulously clean hands, mix well with a little vinaigrette. The trick here is to use the vinaigrette sparingly, as too much dressing will result in a greasy and unappetising salad.

Place a teaspoon of the sweet mustard dressing on each plate and spread out in circular fashion with the back of the spoon. Take a handful of the warm salad and place neatly on top of the mustard dressing. Try to do this quickly and with a lightness of touch. At the same time, ensure that each guest gets a lamb’s tongue and a fair share of the other goodies. Finally, top with the crisp prosciutto and a fried quail egg – hopefully still warm.

Mastering the making of salads, particularly complex warm ones such as this, is one of the stiffest tests for any cook and truly sorts the men from the boys in my opinion. It is helpful to remember that one of the most important ingredients in salads is air. Try to get ‘lift’ and lightness, both when mixing all the ingredients and, importantly, when presenting on the plate.