WHETHER Lyon ever was the gastronomic capital of France is debatable, but it sure has spawned some great dishes, including salade Lyonnaise, not the most simple salad ever made but one that approaches perfection in a way others do not. The combination of bitter greens (traditionally frisée, though escarole, dandelion, and arugula all work beautifully), crisp bacon, barely cooked eggs and warm vinaigrette is really unbeatable.

This is obviously a bit of work, but all of it is dead easy, especially once you master the egg poaching. There are a number of ways to do this, and most work as long as you don’t start with fiercely boiling water.

The water, salted, should be barely simmering. Crack the eggs individually into a small bowl before slipping them gently into the water. Let sit for three or four minutes, or until the whites barely solidify and the yolks remain as runny as possible. (Trust me on this: if you let the yolk harden even the slightest bit, you’ll be missing out on perhaps the most pleasurable aspect of the dish.)

That’s it. Fresh eggs are easier to work with  and better tasting  because the whites won’t spread out much in the water. (If they do, you can sort of gather them back toward the nucleus of each egg with a spoon, but I think this is a waste of time.) Some people think that adding vinegar to the water helps the whites coagulate, but I’ve never found that to be true.