The last time I was in Buenos Aries I had the most amazing salad at Bar Uriarte. I hastily wrote down the ingredients on a scrap of paper and was determined to recreate the salad once I arrived back stateside. Even though I lost the piece of paper, the memory of this salad still lives on in my brain. I even begged my sister to go back to Uriarte and steal a menu, but she refused to support my crazed cooking antics. When I saw this recipe for poached eggs with pancetta on top of a bed of crispy greens, I immediately thought of the deliciousness that was had that sunny summer afternoon in Argentina. Although the Uriarte salad was a little different, I'm going to give this recipe a few tries, tweaking it until I come up with the salad that I so clearly envision in my mind. It's simple, easy, and makes for a wonderful weeknight dinner, so read more

Poached Eggs with Pancetta and Tossed Mesclun
from Food & Wine magazine

8 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
2 scallions, thinly sliced
10 cups mesclun (about 6 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Toast points or steamed, sliced new potatoes, for serving

1. Bring a large, deep skillet filled with 2 inches of water to a simmer.
2. Crack each egg into a cup and gently slide it into the water. Cook until the whites are solid but the yolks are still soft, 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a paper towel—lined plate to drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering.
4. Add the pancetta and cook over moderately high heat until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the shallot and cook until softened, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar, tarragon and scallions.
5. In a bowl, toss the mesclun with the dressing; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the salad to plates, top with the eggs and serve with toast points.

Serves 4.

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