I’m going to keep the preamble short, because I know you want to get to the recipe. I just want to briefly explain why I came up with it.

Wingstop opened up a branch near me, and I had a big coupon for delivery, so tried it out. The food was good, I enjoyed it, but what blew me away was their Ranch Dressing Dip. I’ve tried just about every store bought ranch dressing you can get in the UK, and none matched what I remember from the USA.

So I hit Google to find out Wingstop’s secret, and I discovered why it was the taste I remembered. According to some Wingstop employees online, they use Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning, mixed with sour cream, mayo, and buttermilk.

Hidden Valley Ranch is the most popular American brand of ranch seasoning, and it’s stocked in every supermarket there. Here in the UK, it’s a specialist item, and it costs a small fortune. I reckoned I could look at a bunch of recipes online, and synthesise something convincing. So that’s what I did.

Why is it lazy? Because it takes 5 minutes to make, maybe a minute to longer if you include any of the optional ingredients.

First of all, the ratio of sour cream, mayo, and buttermilk was the same in just about every other recipe I saw: 2 parts sour cream, 2 parts mayonnaise, and 1 part buttermilk. The main flavours are garlic, dill, and onion, but I’d worked that part out already, you know, since I’ve had it before. All I did was play around with the ratios, and add a few optional ingredients, one of which is well worth the tiny bit of extra effort. Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 227 grams sour cream (8 fluid oz, or 1 US cup)
• 227 grams mayonnaise (8 fluid oz, or 1 US cup)
• 113 grams buttermilk (4 fluid oz, or 1/2 US cup)
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion granules or onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Juice from 1/4 of a fresh lemon

Combine the sour cream, mayo and buttermilk in a large bowl, and stir. Add all the seasoning, and mix it until well blended. Cover the bowl, or transfer to another container with a lid, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, but even better, overnight. I used an old glass jar (see pic). The flavours will meld, and you will end up a very tasty Ranch dressing or dip.

Notes

• Use real buttermilk. A pint cost me 90p, and you could use the leftover for a 2nd batch of dressing, or fancy buttermilk pancakes. Even scones
• If you can’t find real buttermilk, allegedly you can make it with normal milk, and some lemon juice. I have not tried it, but the internet has, and says it works as a substitute
• Onion powder or granules – I had granules to hand, but either would work

Optional ingredients that take it over the top

• 1/2 clove of fresh garlic – minced. Thought about adding it to the main ingredients, but it makes it slightly less lazy. It’s worth the extra effort, trust me. Yum!
• Fresh chives – use a pair of scissors to snip them into bits
• Fresh dill – use scissors again, best way to cut herbs
• Flavour enhancer – I use slightly less salt, and replace it with a pinch of this. Yes, I mean mono sodium glutamate, or MSG. Don’t believe the lies, MSG is safe, and natural, and it used by chefs, and food manufacturers in many dishes, and products. Start reading ingredients on prepared foods. You’ll find it in most, especially snack foods.

I’ve been having my homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip with Buffalo Chicken burgers, chips, salads, even sliced up carrots and celery. It goes with just about anything. and It tastes amazing!

If you try this out, let me know. I’m all over the internet, and pretty easy to find. 

And don’t forget #HHOTW!