The Secret Ingredient (Dijon Mustard): Simple Vinaigrette

You can be as fancy as you like in the kitchen, but if you don't know the basics, you'll never get anywhere. And one basic I have been working on for a long time is the perfect basic vinaigrette. I've written a million and one times about the restaurant Le Relais de l'Entrecôte in Paris, which now has an outpost (as yet untested by me!) in New York. It's a steak frites place, but they bring you this amazing green salad with mustard dressing and walnuts to start, and it was that dressing I was dy...

The Secret Ingredient (Dijon Mustard): Moules Dijonnaise

A big steamy pot of creamy mussels soaked in two different kinds of mustard, shallots, leeks, garlic, thyme, and wine. Make sure to buy lots of baguettes to soak up this broth.

Haricots Verts Amandine (French-Style Green Beans With Almonds)

Haricots verts amandine—the classic French dish of green beans with almonds—is an easy, crowd-pleasing side. But the difference between mediocre and great is a matter of technique.

Haricots Verts with Lemon-Herb Brown Butter

French Green Beans make the perfect holiday side, especially tossed in brown butter with fresh lemon juice and herbs. On the table in less than 30 minutes!

French in a Flash: Haricots Verts du Sud

Haricots verts, skinny French green beans, are stewed with all the flavors of the South of France: garlic, olive oil, tomato, wine, and a few shallots for good measure. The little green bean has never tasted so mighty or delicious.

Ottolenghi's Green Bean Salad

A bewitching green bean salad adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem" cookbook. Tarragon, chervil, cumin, coriander and crispy garlic.

Grilled Green Bean Salad With Red Peppers and Radishes

The great thing about this recipe is that it's not really a recipe. Think of it as a blueprint for side dishes: make a good dressing with some raw, crunchy veggies (or cheese!) and keep it in a bowl by the table. Grill a secondary veggie while the meat (or vegetarian main) rests and toss it all together.

Green Bean Salad

A lovely green bean salad with a lemon dressing that presents nicely and is quick to make! The chopped tomato and onion is a great finish touch here.

Green Bean Salad With Pickled Peppers and Anchovy Dressing

Tender-crisp green beans tossed in a savory dressing flavored with anchovies and Worcestershire. Hot and tangy peperoncini, shallots, and pine nuts finish the salad.

Mark Bittman's Green Beans with Crisp Shallots

Leave it to Mark Bittman to show us how to make the best version of this side standard, Green Beans with Crisp Shallots. Bittman's go to method for beans with a little bit of bite involves briefly boiling the green beans, shocking them in ice water, and finishing them with a quick trip to the sauté pan. Tossed with crispy sweet butter and olive oil fried shallots, and almonds, if you'd like, this is the recipe that'll have your green beans moving out of blah territory and into much tastier place...