In this month of March, spring returns. The coldness of winter leaves us to give way to a few beautiful sunny days... and suddenly, we feel like taking a country walk in the heart of our Ardennes landscapes. And also the desire to eat a good Ardennaise salad…

The grayness has gone and now here and there small flowers of a bright yellow brilliance are already pointing... you will have understood it, the dandelion is back and will be able to invite itself back to our table, with the preparation of a typical Ardennes recipe: bacon salad.

Any good Ardennes prepare it with dandelions. But be careful… you have to take this into account when picking… the dandelion reduces when cooked. You will therefore need a volume 4 times greater than that of a usual salad.

Ardennes salad with dandelions

The salad ingredients (per person) for the recipe

  • Freshly picked dandelions
  • 2 potatoes
  • 2 slices of smoked bacon
  • Shallots
  • Vinegar
  • Oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. In a cast iron casserole dish, melt the bacon cut into cubes with the oil.
  2. When they are well melted, throw the dandelions on them and let them cook for a few moments, stirring them.
  3. Add the cooked potatoes in their skin, then peeled and cut into slices.
  4. Mix everything well. Coarsely mash the potatoes with a fork then season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add hot vinegar to taste and a finely chopped shallot.
  6. Mix and serve immediately.

Good to know: In good Ardennes, you should know that the bacon and dandelion salad is called: PAILLACHIE

For the anecdote: The dandelion is also called "lion's tooth" because of the shape of its leaves or even "golden florin" for its bright yellow flowers.

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