A well-dressed salad

By Kady Guyton
July 20, 2009

Mixed greens with honey mustard dressing, cucumbers and carrots with Basic Salad Dressing. Click for larger image.

There is a gentleman of my acquaintance who hates vegetables. According to him, potatoes are small sessile animals that live in symbiosis with plants (that's a direct quote) thus making french fries acceptable to eat. He does like salad, mostly because he's found a few dressings that he enjoys.

When at the grocery store confronting the long aisle of salad dressings, one might be led to believe that there is some sort of complicated formula to finishing a salad. One would be wrong. Salad dressing is a ratio game: acid plus oil equals dressing.

At it's most basic, shaking a little fat with a little acid over a plate of greens makes a dressing. The fat can come from olive oil, canola oil or bacon fat. The acid can be in the form of vinegar, wine or lemon juice. If a creamy dressing is desired, an egg will make the oil and acid play nice together. The taste buds are the final authority here.

Once a good salad dressing is achieved, you may never buy a bottle of the stuff again. At the request of my husband, I've also included a recipe for his favorite: honey mustard dressing - which also makes a great dipping sauce for fried chicken.

A lot of salad dressing recipes include the instruction to add the oil slowly while whisking the other ingredients. This is only really necessary if you're making an emulsified dressing (for example, mayonnaise). If the plan is for a vinegrette dressing, then feel free to add all the ingredients to a jar with a tight lid and shake vigorously until blended. This has two advantages: the dressing is now mixed in the container it will be stored in, thus saving on dishes and it gives high-energy people something to do while you chop the greens.

Dried herbs are great for salad dressings since the oil and vinegar help them release their flavors. However, dried parsley is dust in a little jar. Use the fresh stuff. It costs nothing, tastes wonderful and will keep for over a week in a glass of water. If there is dried parsley on your spice rack, toss it now. You won't miss it. Trust me.

When it comes to the leaves you select to make up the salad itself, I tend to aim for darker colors over lighter. Iceberg lettuce is essentially crunchy water without a lot of nutritional value. There are beautiful salad blends available at the farmers markets right now for minimal amounts of money. The advantage of buying from local farms is that you can usually sample a leaf or two before buying.

If the leaves are too big to eat comfortably, tear or chop them into smaller pieces. Yes, cutting lettuce with a knife can make the leaves turn rusty, but if it's done right before serving, everything will be eaten before it matters.

Enjoy your salad with a glass of chilled white wine and a healthy attitude.

Basic Salad Dressing

2 tablespoons Wine
2 tablespoons Vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon fresh Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Clove Garlic, minced

Directions
In a small bowl whisk together wine, vinegar, and mustard until blended. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly. Whisk in oregano, parsley, and garlic. Serve over mixed greens.

Honey Mustard Dressing
Courtesy of Alton Brown

5 tablespoons medium body honey
3 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Serve as a dressing or a dip.