Liège has a habit of turning simple things into local institutions, and its warm salad is a fine example. Potatoes and green beans, both grown in quantity across Wallonia, are tossed while still hot with smoked bacon, onion and vinegar, which hits the hot pan in a cloud of sharp steam and turns into a dressing on the spot. It is served warm, often as a main course, and it is about as far from a delicate lettuce salad as a salad can reasonably get.

Spa lies in the province of Liège, so this is regional cooking in the most literal sense. It comes together in half an hour, needs one pan and a pot, and is exactly what a cool late August evening in the Ardennes calls for.

The potatoes and beans

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb (570 g) waxy potatoes
• 1 lb (450 g) green beans
• 2 tablespoons salt

The bacon and onion dressing

Ingredients

• 7 oz (200 g) smoked lardons or thick cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) butter
• 1 medium onion
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) red or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• to taste salt
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley

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