Ranch: The official condiment of Montana?

Did you know that March 10 was National Ranch Day? Probably not. No worries if you missed out, because Big Sky Country likes to celebrate ranch dressing every day of the year. 

I believe ranch is unquestionably Montana’s favorite condiment. It’s the white, herby, creamy stuff we pair with far more foods than your typical side salad. Ranch is so popular in Montana that it may very well deserve an official proclamation as Montana’s official state dip/dressing/sauce/condiment. Hear me out, people. 

Let’s talk about why ranch is so awesome. First, is has a cool name. I don’t know where it came from, but the title is far superior to others that grace our tables or sit inside our refrigerator door. 

Second, it’s got the right combo of zesty, creamy and herby that keeps you coming back for more. Its DNA is a mystery to many who enjoy it, but I am going to unlock it for you. 

Third, ranch delivers a cooling effect, regarding both temperature and spice. Pair it with a hot dish for that contrast in temperature, or put it on something spicy to cool your mouth when it catches fire. 

If you’ve ever made ranch at home, I would wager there was a seasoning packet involved. There are plenty of good reasons to make the leap to scratch. Next time you’re at the grocery store, take a look at the ingredients on the back of a bottle of ranch dressing. The first three ingredients are likely to be vegetable oil, water and sugar. No thanks. The packets will have dried herbs and a bunch of additives that you probably can’t pronounce. Also, no thanks. 

You can do better with this recipe by making the top three ingredients sour cream, buttermilk and mayonnaise. Fresh herbs, a few key spices and a touch of lemon zest give this ranch a special character that far surpasses anything you can buy from a store. 

Ranch can come in a lot of different forms. You’ve got the dippy, gloppy, thick kind that holds firmly onto whatever you marry it with — the kind you’d find paired with a veggie platter. You’ve also got the thin, runny type that can work great as a light salad dressing or sauce. 

My recipe is firmly in the middle ground between those two camps, but it can easily be adjusted to meet your custom ranch specifications. If you like your ranch thicker, add an extra 1/4 cup mayonnaise to the equation. If you like it on the thinner side, add another 1/2 cup of buttermilk. You really can’t go wrong. 

Make a salad, some fat and crispy oven fries (recipe below), or some chicken tenders or wings, and you’ll never go back to the bottled stuff again. 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour while the flavors merge. Taste and adjust the seasoning and herb levels to your preferences. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Wash your potatoes. Slice the rounded edges off the sides of your potatoes. The peels on the ends can stay unless you don’t like them. Make 1/2 inch slices lengthwise down your potatoes. With each slice, make another 1/2 inch slice horizontally to form the long rectangular fry shape. 

Place the fries on the lined baking tray and lightly coat with vegetable oil and all the seasonings. Mix well so the oil and seasoning coats the fries. Bake for 30 minutes. Take them out and flip each fry completely over and let them cool to room temperature. They should be a little soft and floppy, which is what you want for now. Raise your oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake the fries again for about 30 minutes (you can do another flip after the first 20 minutes to get more even browning) or until golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Season with more salt right out of the oven if desired.