My first great experience with lentil salad was at Chez Georges in Paris over 20 years ago. I remember three things from that lunch: the lentils were served alongside a breast of duck, the woman across the way had a snuffling pug-nosed dog parked underneath the tablecloth, and the waitress who was more Queens diner than Paris bistro. But it was at Chez Georges that I discovered that lentil salad is a suggestion, a whisper of an idea, something that can be rendered sublime in the right hands.

To get an update on that first experience, I recently checked in with Chef Loïc Lobet at Le Bon Georges in Paris’ 9th. First off, he flavored the cooking liquid with aromatics, onion, garlic and carrot plus fatty bacon trimmings, and then simmered for 30 minutes, salting the lentils towards the end of cooking and dressing them with olive oil as soon as they were drained. (Chef Lobet claims that salting the cooking water initially will keep the lentils from fully cooking.) He thinly sliced endive, removing the bitter hearts, cooked thick-cut bacon for just 2 to 3 minutes so it was still tender, sliced it into meaty lardons which were then cooked with the lentils in a skillet for a few minutes, and then made a final dressing with mustard, cider vinegar, chili flakes, and diced shallots. The endive and remaining bacon top each serving.

Our version is close to Le Bon Georges although his meaty, thick bacon is a far cry from our own supermarket options. The success of this recipe, however, lies in the use of bacon to season the lentils (and to provide extra texture), dressing the lentils as soon as they are cooked, and adding a light touch with the slivered endive. Nothing earth-shattering, just sublime.

Chris Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."