An Excellent Mustard Dressing

Makes about ¾ cup

I don’t want to assume you’re reading this whole book cover to cover, but let’s say you are, and you’re now wondering why, after I’ve said I don’t really make vinaigrettes, I’m writing a recipe for one. Well, listen, it’s more of a dressing than a vinaigrette, and sure, even I am not entirely clear on the differences between the two words, but I’m calling this a dressing, which, to me, indicates versatility.

Adding water to a dressing was something I gleaned from one of the more famous salads of our time, the insalata verde at the New York institution Via Carota. Once I noticed it in that recipe, I saw it appear elsewhere, usually in older cookbooks without photos (my favorite), and it makes sense: The dilution allows for more dressing to be applied, rather than having something so acidic that you are forced to limit your consumption of it. Not unlike its role in a well-shaken martini, water as an ingredient provides balance. Don’t skip it.

I intend for you to use this all-purpose, excellent mustard dressing for things beyond a bowl of gorgeous greens. Perhaps you’ll use it to coat black lentils served alongside a coil of browned sausage to pretend you’re in France. Or spoon it over a little sliced chicken and lettuce, cozied next to a jammy egg and some crispy bacon for a Cobb-like experience. It can be tossed with sprigs of parsley served next to a baking dish of bubbling beans, or it can be treated as a sauce for just- cooked pieces of seared trout and a pile of steamed green beans. An Excellent Mustard Dressing is something everyone should have in their fridge, to dress any number of grains, proteins, or vegetables at a moment’s notice. The perfect vessel for storing it is, of course, an old mustard jar, but any sort of reusable container also works.

Ingredients

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar, plus more
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard or Dijon mustard (or a mix of both),  plus more
• ⅓ cup olive oil, plus more

Preparation

1. Combine the shallot, garlic, and vinegar in a small bowl (or an old mustard jar). Season with salt and pepper and let sit for a few minutes to marinate the shallot and take some of the edge off the raw garlic.

2. Add the mustard and 1 tablespoon water and stir, whisk, or shake to combine. Add the olive oil and stir, whisk, or shake again to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, or more vinegar, mustard, or olive oil, depending on what you’re needing or wanting from this dressing.

NOTE: Whole-grain mustard will give you nice texture and look more like a "dressing," while Dijon will look creamier, more like an emulsified vinaigrette. Both are great.

DO AHEAD: The mustard dressing can be made 1 week ahead, stored sealed and refrigerated.