Recipe: Romaine and Celery Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

There’s a reason why a packet of ranch seasoning is the secret to so many crazy-delicious recipes, from chicken marinade and yogurt dip to potato salad and popcorn seasoning (yeah, you should try it). It just has that special something (along with a heavy dose of nostalgia) that homemade recipes can’t quite seem to capture.

Well, I’m happy to report that Julia Turshen has simply nailed homemade ranch dressing in her new cookbook, Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas For Reinventing Leftovers. Her secret? Garlic two ways, resulting in a ranch that would fool any Hidden Valley devotee.

Julia says she’s tried this dressing with just fresh garlic and just garlic powder, and while good, it’s the combination that gives it that signature ranch taste. The rest is straightforward: a quarter cup of buttermilk, a few tablespoons of mayonnaise, a splash of vinegar, a handful of chives, and a pinch of salt.

The smartest salads begin with whisking the dressing directly in the salad bowl (saving you a dish), which is exactly what happens here. Add the romaine and celery; toss, toss, toss (just get right in there with your hands); season with freshly ground black pepper, and you’ve got yourself a new house salad. If you want to make it in advance, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel after you add the greens, stick it in the refrigerator, and toss together just before serving.

The recipe calls for three hearts of romaine, but I found two was plenty — after all, you want that tangy ranch dressing coating each and every leaf. You could be civilized and eat this with a fork and knife, but who are we kidding? My roommates and I grabbed the romaine leaves and celery sticks straight from the serving bowl and ate them like french fries until there was nothing left.

When I saw that Julia suggested a spicy, garlicky, stir-fried lettuce dish as her solution to leftover romaine, I knew I’d picked a good recipe to share. All of us at Kitchn understand the (unappreciated) deliciousness that is wilted romaine — to say we’re a little obsessed with this lettuce salad with hot beef dressing is an understatement.

The stir-fry is easy, too, as leftovers should be: Heat a minced garlic clove, a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, and a dash of red pepper flakes in a splash of oil, add the sliced celery and cook until softened, then toss in the romaine and cook until wilted. Serve over rice, seasoned with soy sauce, and topped with a fried egg. Make at least once a week.