Ranch dressing is the dressing Americans just cannot seem to get enough of. We use it as a dip for pizza and wings, plunge french fries into the delicious creamy mixture and, naturally, drizzle it on our salads. You can even find ranch-infused vodka.
I was in St. Louis last year and, at the recommendation of a good friend, stopped by Twisted Ranch restaurant, which serves 31 flavors of ranch dressing. Everything on the menu - appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, wraps and salads - is either made using ranch dressing or served with a ranch flavor of your choice on the side.
How a simple mixture of buttermilk and mayonnaise with a couple of herbs has become such an amazingly popular dip/dressing, I will never know. But according to a 2017 study by the Association for Dressings and Sauces, 40% of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing. Its nearest competitor, Italian, came in at 10%.
Sometimes it's even difficult to find a packet of ranch dressing mix on store shelves, though with so many brands of bottled ranch dressings, there's always some to be found.
I like to make my own, though. And this recipe, right in time for Sunday's Super Bowl gathering and its de rigueur platters of wings, is so much better than any you can buy. Its fresh taste should convince you.
Fresh Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup chilled buttermilk, full-fat if you can find it
2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped green onion tops (just the green parts)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke's
Kosher salt, to taste
In a food processor, process the buttermilk, garlic, green onions and parsley together until the herbs are mixed. Add the mayonnaise, and process until just smooth. Add a little more buttermilk if you want it to be thinner. Taste, and add the salt if you need it.
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Anne BralyEmail Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.