Apple Wood Smoked Sausage Salad with Poached Egg

I am cooking a lot of salads recently as with the warm weather my appetite changes. I could not think of eating a stew or something heavy. This time of the year is beautiful as the early vegetables are coming into season. Asparagus is bang in season right now.

I found these apple wood smoked sausages in "Fox's Fruit and Veg", in Mullingar. They are made just outside Mullingar and they were fantastic. If you like the taste of a "hot dog" then you would love these. If you don't like smoked meats then just use an ordinary high pork content sausage.

Apple Wood Smoked Sausage Salad with Poached Egg

by Trevor Thornton

Serves 2

Difficulty Moderate

Ingredients
2 free range eggs
1 tbps vinegar
4 large smoked sausages, use normal sausages if you can’t find smoked
1 packet of salad leaves
French Dressing
1 tsp Dijon vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
white wine vinegar
salt and white pepper

Method
Cook the sausages in a frying pan over a very low heat for 10-15 minutes turning occasionally. I use the lowest heat possible on a gas hob. This ensures that the pork cooks slowly and all the bad fats leech out of the sausage. You will end up with a perfectly cooked sausage. When cooked set aside to rest.

Fill a large saucepan with 5cm (2 inch) of water and add in the vinegar. Place over a high heat. Crack the eggs into two cups and set aside. When you can see loads of tiny bubbles appear on the bottom of the saucepan add in the eggs carefully. Set your timer for exactly one minute. When the minute is up remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for exactly 10 minutes. This was will give you perfectly set whites and a nice creamy warm yolk.

To make the French dressing, add the Dijon mustard to a large bowl and very slowly whisk in 4 tbps of extra virgin olive oil. The mixture will thicken as you are adding in the oil. The mixture will split if you add it too fast. If this happens just start again. Add in enough vinegar to taste. Make sure to whisk all of the time. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To assemble, add the dressing to the salad leaves and toss well to coat the leaves. Divide the salad between two plates. Cut the sausage into bite size pieces and add to the plates. Remove the egg from the saucepan after the 10 minutes and drain on kitchen paper. Place on top of the salad and serve.