I have always been obsessed with cookbooks. Even as a teenager, I couldn’t go to bed without taking in a chapter or two. Imagining my grown-up life when I could prepare dinner parties of my own lulled me to sleep on a nightly basis. My favorite books, hands down and still to this day, were and are Lee Bailey’s. He was a master at evoking a particular atmosphere in his writing. One of the things he wrote about, the rule of four, is an idea I have subscribed to big-time. Usually we think that a protein, a vegetable, and some sort of grain or carbohydrate makes a complete meal, but Lee insisted on adding a fourth thing to the mix to make every meal special. This could be a skillet of homemade cornbread or a jar of interesting pickles; but for me, whisking something assertive (e.g., horseradish, lemon zest, or garlic) into a creamy base (e.g., mayonnaise or yogurt) is the instant condiment I make most regularly and that, small victory, takes any meal from totally fine to a little bit more remarkable. Here’s my favorite version, especially when roast chicken is on the docket (which is often in my house). It’s also great on fried eggs, grilled zucchini, roasted potatoes, or even as a dip for potato chips. Honestly, it is perfect on everything.

MAKES 1 CUP [240 ML] 

 3 /4 cup [170 g] crème fraîche Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

  3 Tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley

  1 garlic clove, minced

  1 small red chile, halved, seeded, and minced, or 1 Tbsp chile paste or hot sauce

  1 tsp kosher salt

 In a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, chile, and salt and stir until everything is well mixed.

Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day (stir and taste for seasoning before serving as the cold temperature and time both tend to mute the flavors, so feel free to perk up the sauce with extra salt and lemon)

SPIN-OFFS 

 FOR HORSERADISH SAUCE, substitute horseradish for the lemon zest and juice and swap the parsley for chives. Add 1 tsp sherry vinegar and leave out the chile. This is excellent on all sorts of potatoes, especially ones served alongside meat or roast chicken.

 FOR GARLIC + HERB SAUCE, put a clove of garlic and two large handfuls of fresh basil leaves in a food processor or a large mortar and pestle and crush them together. Or just finely chop them. Mix with 3 /4 cup [170 g] crème fraîche and season with salt. This is really excellent on a tomato salad.