Warm Bread, Pancetta, & Poached Egg Salad w/ Parmesan

I think that greens salads with warm components are probably my favorite types of salads to eat.  Give me a good Spinach Salad w/ a Bacony-Vinegary dressing...or a Salad with warm roasted squash & a warm maple-spiked dressing like my favorite autumn/winter salad...or even a salad in the middle of summer with some veggies or meat straight off the grill right on top of it.  That said, I like crisp, fresh salads, too...but salads tossed with warm things scream "full meal" to me!  This one is particularly satisfying with crunchy, chewy chunks of warm bread and salty crisps of pancetta over tender young greens and a warm, sunny yolk finding its way down through all the nooks and crannies.  Good Day, Sunshine....

Warm Bread, Pancetta, & Poached Egg Salad w/ Parmesan
adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef
serves 4

1 loaf Ciabatta bread (or another crusty, airy bread)
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
12 slices pancetta
juice of 1 lemon
4 eggs (plus water & white vinegar for poaching)
4 large handfuls mixed baby greens & lettuces
Parmesan Cheese (part of a wedge)

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Cut bread into cubes then drizzle with olive oil.  Add garlic and season with some salt and pepper then toss it all to combine.  Spread out onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven for ~10 minutes, or until it has started to get golden edges.  Lay the slices of prosciutto on the tray with (or right on top of) the bread and cook another 5-10 minutes until everything is crisp.

Meanwhile, combine lemon juice w/ some olive oil (about 3 parts oil to 1 part lemon juice), then season with salt and pepper and whisk or shake to combine (I am partial to putting it all in a little jar and shaking it up).

Put a small pot of water on to boil and pour in a slug of white vinegar (this helps the poached eggs hold their shape).  Crack your eggs into a small dish or cup for sliding (one per dish/at a time).  Turn the heat down until it barely bubbles and carefully slide your eggs in one at a time.  Cook for ~4 minutes for a runny yolk.  Lift out with a slotted spoon and set it on a kitchen towel to drain.

Toss your dressing with your lettuces and the bread and pancetta from the oven.  Divide evenly among plates, then top each with a poached egg and use a veggie peeler to shave as much Parmesan as you'd like over each salad.

I am sharing this post with:
*IHCC: it's another POTLUCK w/ Jamie this week!
*Yeastspotting!