Ranch Dressing

So, I am a big believer in Ranch dressing.  If you know me well, you know that I pretty much order it every time I am at a restaurant, regardless of my chosen meal.  I order it with pizza (thanks to the watery, super salty Ranch dressing that I must have consumed gallons of from a pizza delivery place in my college days), with French fries or baked potatoes, or even with chips and salsa.  True, while it may not be the most healthy salad dressing (or dipping sauce) of choice, it’s one of those constant food comforts in my life that always gives me a little gustatory joy.  I’ve tried just about every bottled version out there (I have three different kinds in my fridge right now), but none of them are what I consider “good Ranch dressing.”  (I will go to certain restaurants solely because they have good Ranch.  If they don’t have good Ranch, I have an aversion.  As I am writing this, I realize that this might be a little obsessive-compulsive.  Please excuse me.)  And honestly?  My favorite kind of “pre-made” Ranch dressing is the powdery stuff that you mix with buttermilk and sour cream (I always add more buttermilk and less sour cream, because I like the consistency to be a little watery.)

I have made this recipe before.  And I love it. I love the versatility of it.  I love the fact that it calls for parsley (a traditional Ranch dressing ingredient), but since I don’t like the flavor of parsley (ew), I can omit it and play around with the rest of the flavors (besides, since I don’t like parsley all that much, it’s a major pet peeve of mine to buy a bunch of parsley, only to use a few sprigs.  And then I will inevitably find it three weeks later in my vegetable drawer all soggy and gross……).  Play around with this recipe.  I added more garlic, some red pepper flakes, and some extra celery salt to the mix this time.  I’m excited to hear how you make yours.

 

Ranch Dressing

Servings: approximately 2 cups of dressing

Ingredients

3/4 cups mayonnaise-I used low-fat mayo.

3/4 cup sour cream-again, I used low-fat.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup buttermilk

Handful of chives, chopped, to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

1 teaspoon celery salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

2. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (to help the flavors blend a little).

 

Source: Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook (2004).