the best/easiest vinagrette

I was informed that super easy vinagrette recipe that I rattled off in the hallway at work, was, in fact, worthy of a blog post... and so, I present the best and EASIEST vinagrette!

You can make this in a bowl, but it's way easier to do in a jar with a lid.  If you're truly lazy like me, wait until you're just about out of dijon mustard, and make it in the not-washed-out-mustard jar.

my favorite dijon

here's my measuring

Start with a plop of dijon mustard.  And by plop I mean spoonful-ish.  I've also been known to stick my small whisk into the jar and use whatever comes up as the amount.  Add a hearty pinch of kosher or other coarse salt and about twice as much coarse ground pepper as you think is reasonable.

the jar of salt. Mmmm. Salt.

DIGRESSION ON SALT: First, buy kosher salt. Second, keep it in a covered dish (I use a cheap glass sugar jar bought just for salt) or salt pig  Third, don't be stingy. Salt is flavor. Use like a HEARTY pinch, not a few grains, I'm talking a decent chunk.  

Oh sherry...vinegar.

Then, throw in a small pinch of brown sugar, and a glug of sherry (or red wine, or champagne, or rice--anything but balsamic or white) vinegar. 

oil it up!

 Top with three glugs of decent olive oil.  Whisk, or if you're using a jar, pop the lid on and shake. Voilà, vinaigrette! Keep it in the fridge and it'll last a good long while.

If you want to get REALLY fancy or not lazy, crush or grate with a microplane a small clove of garlic into the whole mess, or add a finely diced shallot.  Neither are actually neccessary. I mean, they're good but they also require cleaning something after.