Salade Périgourdine

Salade perigourdine is a composed salad of the Perigord region of southwest France, closely related to the salade landaise of neighboring Gascony. The dish is a showcase of the region's preserved-duck specialties and its protected walnuts. The canonical ingredients are greens, smoked or cured duck breast (magret), duck gizzards that have been preserved in fat (confit), foie gras, and toasted walnuts du Perigord, dressed with a vinaigrette that often includes walnut oil. Some versions add potatoes and green beans to make it a more substantial dish. The salad belongs to the tradition of composed salads of southwest France, where preserved-duck products — gizzards, magret, foie gras — are staple pantry items, not luxuries.

A plate of salade perigourdine is a composed arrangement: greens with warm slices of smoked duck breast, a few duck gizzards confit cut in halves, a slice of foie gras, toasted walnuts, and sometimes warm potatoes. The warm gizzards and foie gras slightly wilt the greens, which absorb their fat; the walnuts add crunch and the walnut-oil vinaigrette ties the whole together with its distinctive nutty, slightly bitter character.

Salade perigourdine rests on the composition of warm duck products over crisp greens. The duck gizzards, having been preserved in fat (confit), are rich in fat and gelatin; when warmed and placed on the greens, their fat melts slightly, wilting the greens and creating a warm vinaigrette in situ. The foie gras, also rich in fat, contributes the same effect. The walnuts provide textural contrast and the characteristic Périgord flavor; walnut oil in the vinaigrette adds the distinctive nutty, slightly bitter aromatic note. The salad is composed — arranged on the plate, not tossed — so each ingredient retains its identity and the eater gets a distinct combination in each bite.