A Dip Moment

Image by Robbie Guevarra

Ranch dip with a fried scallion oil.

As someone who hated ranch as a child, I felt the need to reclaim the narrative as an adult. And I am happy to say that I love this dip. It can be served alongside chips and crudites or as a condiment with just about anything. The flavor of onion is represented in multiple ways: fresh and sharp with chives and onion powder, and unctuous and deep in flavor with the fried scallion oil. It’s great for one, great for two, great for ten. Needless to say, this dip works hard without having you do much work.

Serves 4

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup thinly sliced scallion (3-4 scallions), white and green parts
2 anchovy fillets 
1 tbsp Aleppo pepper (can swap with 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes)
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream 
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp onion powder 
¼ cup thinly sliced chives 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarsely chopped dill 
Crudites or ruffled chips, for serving

Make your fried scallion oil by adding oil to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add your scallions and anchovies. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the scallions have softened and the anchovies have melted. Remove from the heat and stir in Aleppo pepper. Set aside to cool.  

For the ranch dip, in a large bowl, whisk the sour cream, buttermilk, and mayonnaise. Add onion powder and chives. Season well with salt and black pepper. 

To plate, transfer your dip to a shallow serving bowl and drizzle fried scallion oil over top. Garnish with dill. Serve with vegetables or chips of your choice.