Steak Frites Part Deux: the salad

We used to have six or seven different bottled dressings in our fridge all the time but we don't any more. It's so easy to make your own dressing at home, why buy it? And I find it's better because I tend to get bored of using the same dressing over and over.

This is a simple mustard vinaigrette dressing that I created after having a salad in France with a mustardy dressing. And it goes so well with steak frites because the sharpness cuts the greasiness of the fries and the heaviness of the steak.

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon hot pepper jelly (substitute marmalade, peach jam, or the like - nothing red though)

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 cups of greens (I used spinach because that's all that looked good in the store but frisee would be so much better)

handful of toasted walnuts

Whisk to combine the ingredients and give the dressing a taste. It should be sweet, savory, tart, and creamy, with just a little bite from the peppers in the pepper jelly.

So many times in Paris, I was served a salad with toasted walnuts. It's really delicious because it adds a crunch but it's healthier than croutons.

Toss and serve.

Next up is Steak Frites Part Trois: the fries