I was a young culinary student over 20 years ago in France, absorbing as much cooking knowledge as I could and also traveling when my student budget allowed. My classmate and friend Sarah invited a group of us down to her house in Provence one weekend, and of course we couldn’t say no. Sarah was American but practically French — she had married someone French, had two kids, and lived in Paris for over two decades. Being a group of culinary students, we of course grocery shopped and cooked together, and Sarah taught me a salad trick I still use today.

Sarah gave us free rein in her kitchen, opting to make a salad so that she could get out of the way. Dinner wouldn’t be for another hour or two, so I was surprised to see she was already prepping. I watched as she whisked together a classic vinaigrette in a large serving bowl, then started adding in the salad ingredients. When I asked Sarah why she was making the salad this far ahead, she told me that she wasn’t actually doing that. She was actually making what I now dub a reverse salad.