Russian Dressing
Russian and Thousand Island have the same base, but are topped with different high notes. The competing notes are sweet pickle relish for Thousand Island, and horseradish for Russian. For most salads I prefer Thousand Island. But for Reuben sandwiches, it’s Russian — no contest.
HOWEVER, though grocery store shelves have many excellent Thousand Island offerings, so far I haven’t found a store-bought Russian dressing I really like. The good news is this super-simple recipe is outstanding and takes almost no time to prepare.
Don’t be alarmed by the horseradish and hot sauce ingredients — there is not enough to bother anybody. Bumping up the amount of horseradish to increase the ‘zing’ is fine if you have the right audience. But more hot sauce would be out of place.
Careful using chili sauce other than Heinz or something similar. The term “chili sauce” covers a wide swath of products with different heat and flavor profiles. I’d use Heinz at least the first time to establish a baseline, then experiment from there if you’re feeling adventurous.
Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
HOWEVER, though grocery store shelves have many excellent Thousand Island offerings, so far I haven’t found a store-bought Russian dressing I really like. The good news is this super-simple recipe is outstanding and takes almost no time to prepare.
Don’t be alarmed by the horseradish and hot sauce ingredients — there is not enough to bother anybody. Bumping up the amount of horseradish to increase the ‘zing’ is fine if you have the right audience. But more hot sauce would be out of place.
Careful using chili sauce other than Heinz or something similar. The term “chili sauce” covers a wide swath of products with different heat and flavor profiles. I’d use Heinz at least the first time to establish a baseline, then experiment from there if you’re feeling adventurous.
Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
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Russian Dressing
Russian and Thousand Island have the same base, but are topped with different high notes. The competing notes are sweet pickle relish for Thousand Island, and horseradish for Russian. For most salads I prefer Thousand Island. But for Reuben sandwiches, it’s Russian — no contest.
HOWEVER, though grocery store shelves have many excellent Thousand Island offerings, so far I haven’t found a store-bought Russian dressing I really like. The good news is this super-simple recipe is outstanding and takes almost no time to prepare. Don’t be alarmed by the horseradish and hot sauce ingredients — there is not enough to bother anybody. Bumping up the amount of horseradish to increase the ‘zing’ is fine if you have the right audience. But more hot sauce would be out of place. Careful using chili sauce other than Heinz or something similar. The term “chili sauce” covers a wide swath of products with different heat and flavor profiles. I’d use Heinz at least the first time to establish a baseline, then experiment from there if you’re feeling adventurous. Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. |
| Servings |
| 12oz |
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Ingredients
- 1Tbsp finely chopped or grated onion — White or yellow. But not sweet.
- 1cup mayonnaise — 1 cup mayo = 230g
- 1/4cup Heinz chili sauce. — 1/4 cup = 70g
- 4tsp prepared horseradish — The stuff from the cold section, not the “horseradish sauce” from the condiment aisle. Have more on hand to adjust at final taste.
- 1tsp hot sauce — Whatever floats your boat, but probably avoid anything silly hot. The real zing is supposed to come from the horseradish. I go with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
- 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4tsp sweet or smoked paprika
- 1/4tsp salt — to taste
Instructions
- Turn the diced onion into a rough paste using a mortar and pestle, or pressing with a large heavy knife sideways to mash. You don’t have to get crazy with this step, a little texture is fine. Try not to let much juice escape.
- Transfer the onion paste to a bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients.
- Whisk in salt to taste.
- The “zing” of prepared horseradish is widely variable — so it is important to taste and and add more if needed. The base amount anticipates fairly strong horseradish, so it’s not unusual to need more. But don’t go crazy… it should be apparent but not overwhelming.
Recipe Notes
SPECTACULAR on Reuben Sandwiches, especially if made with Corned Venison or Venison Pastrami.