- 4 plump wood pigeon breasts, skinned
- 200g/7oz smoked belly pork lardons (pancetta or even Ayrshire)
- 2 new potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced
- 3 handfuls of a selection of salad leaves (for example, roccolla, mache, endive)
- 100ml/3½oz walnut oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 50ml/2oz extra virgin olive oil
- a few sprigs of thyme
- a few garlic cloves
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100ml/3½oz olive oil for cooking
- Fry the lardons in half the olive oil until crisp and then set aside.
- In the same pan, add a little more oil and fry the potatoes, set aside with the lardons in a warm place.
- In a bowl, combine the mustard with the extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil and red wine vinegar.
- In the frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil and cook the pigeon breasts with the garlic and thyme, turning and seasoning as they cook. The breasts don t take long, 2-3 minutes each side maximum. Cover and allow to rest.
- Combine the salad leaves, ¾ of the dressing, lardons, potatoes and seasoning in a large bowl and serve on four large plates.
- Cut the pigeon breasts into thin slices and arrange over the salad. Sprinkle over some sea salt and the remainder of the dressing. Serve immediately.