fried artichoke salad

this one is pretty easy.. I mean the hardest part was getting the artichokes sliced evenly.

For one GOOD sized (entree) Salad you’ll need

A handful or two of mixed baby greens
two baby artichokes (no bigger than your fist)
some bacon or ham lardons (sliced into sticks, no bigger than a 1/4 inch wide)
1/2 ripe tomato, diced
one small avocado, or 1/2 of a medium to large one
(optional: thinly sliced red onion or chopped green onion)

bread crumbs
salt
fresh ground pepper
GOOD olive oil
beaten egg with a bit of milk or cream

Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of good honey (like lemon honey or thyme honey)
2-3 teaspoons of good vinegar (depends on how vinegar-y you like your dressings) I used a good red wine vinegar here, but any will work… especially white balsamic
salt and fresh pepper to taste
4-5 teaspoons of good olive oil (I prefer Spanish over French, but Greek works well too)
Whisk the mustard, honey, salt pepper and vinegar together, then slowly add the olive oil, while whisking until incorporated and taste like a dressing you’d enjoy on slightly bitter greens…

Ok.. so you have your dressing made, set it aside for now.
take a pan or a pot…(if you have some… nevermind, I’m not going there) and put about 1/4 inch of olive oil and let it get hot.
When it its hot add your bacon or ham lardons and let them fry until a bit browned, then pull them out and let them drain on paper towels and set aside

Cut the tops off the artichokes, cut them in half and slice then no thinner than 1/4 inch… straight into the beaten egg and give them a good tossing around.
Season your bread crumbs with a generous amount of salt and pepper then toss your artichoke slices until evenly coated then into the hot oil (the same you fried the bacon in). fry them until golden brown and drain on paper towels…

Now you are ready to assemble it.

Find a pretty plate, and place your greens on top, drizzle a bit of the dressing over your greens, then top with some bacon lardons, then the diced tomato, a bit more dressing… scatter your artichokes on top, drizzle a bit of dressing on those (here you can crumble some goat cheese if you like) then slice your avocado and place on top.

Pour yourself a glass of Chardonnay or Chablis and Eat up…. If you feel so inclined, grab a piece of crusty french bread to go with it.

If you are feeling bold, poach an egg to go on top.