Warm salad of Pigeon

by Neil Forbes

Serves 4
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins

Ingredients
4 plump Pigeon breasts, skinned
200g Lardons
2 New Potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced
3 handfuls of a selection of Salad Leaves
100ml Walnut Oil
1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
50ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a few sprigs of Thyme
a few Garlic Cloves
Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Olive Oil

1. Fry the lardons in half the olive oil until crisp and then set aside.
2. In the same pan, add a little more oil and fry the potatoes, set aside with the lardons in a warm place.
3. In a bowl, combine the mustard with the extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil and red wine vinegar.
4. 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.
5. Combine the salad leaves, ¾ of the dressing, lardons, potatoes and seasoning in a large bowl and serve on four large plates.
6. 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.