So instead of adding a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to flavor your vinagrette, try a ground nuts. Pistachio is delicious, as are pecan and walnut. But play with whatever you have on hand.

If the recipe below is not nutty enough for you, add more by the teaspoonful until you reach your desired nuttiness (test the vinaigrette by dipping some lettuce into it, rather than tasting off the spoon).

Use this ratio to start, whisking together:

 
Dress your favorite greens or other vegetables. You can still toss some whole or chopped nuts onto the salad for even more flavor and texture.

There is nothing more delicious in a vinaigrette than a fine nut oil. Walnut oil is a staple of our vinaigrettes and one of our favorite easy salad courses, mixed baby greens with a circle of goat cheese and a garnish of beets (try matchsticks or whole baby beets—don’t use pickled beets as the pickling liquid will clash with the dressing).

We typically buy nut oils from La Tourangelle, a California company that is reliably excellent (it was a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week—read the review). Give a can as a gift to a fellow food lover.

Once you open the container, keep it in the fridge. You’ll need to let it come to room temperature going forward (quick trick: put the bottle in a container of hot water), but it helps to keep the oil fresh.

Another suggestion: When you first start to use nut oil, use 2 tablespoons plus one tablespoon olive oil in the vinaigrette ratio. Some people prefer a milder nut taste.

Salad is about to taste a whole lot better!

Find more of our favorite oils and salad dressings.