I don’t know why it always seems a salad from a restaurant tastes so much better than anything I can put together at home.  My only guess is the salad dressing.  At home, we’re stuck with whatever we can find in a bottle on the grocery store shelves.  Restaurant recipes will usually be something you’ve heard of, but with an added twist.

The Outback Steakhouse™ Ranch Dressing can be duplicated at home with the help of Hidden Valley Ranch™.  They have a dry salad dressing mix (not the ranch dip) which makes a wonderful starter for our Outback Steakhouse™ Ranch Dressing.

The most important step is letting the dressing “set-up” in the refrigerator.  Do NOT skip this step or cut it short.  In fact, if you can, make this a day ahead of when you’re going to need it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.  At the very least give it an hour to chill.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon hidden valley ranch dressing mix
• 1 cup mayonnaise (I recommend Hellmans or Best Foods – NOT Miracle Whip)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8/ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use this INSTEAD OF the paprika if you like your dressing spicy)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Chill for at least 1 hour.  It’s best to let this sit overnight to bring all of the flavors together and let it thicken up.