Bobby Flay's Tangy Twist On Russian Dressing

With over three decades in the culinary industry, four Emmys, numerous cookbooks, and several cooking shows, Bobby Flay has established a unique style that fuses the cuisines he specializes in, creating delicious twists on classic dishes. He supplied Delish with a unique twist on Russian dressing that combines regional and international flavors. Despite its name, Russian dressing is a classic American dressing for salads, dipping sauce for French fries, and spread for sandwiches. In this reinvented Russian dressing recipe, Flay doesn't just swap one ingredient but revamps the recipe with fresh add-ins.

The recipe is a sophisticated, well-balanced dressing that changes bottled, store-bought ingredients for whole vegetables, fresh herbs, and Mediterranean staples like Greek yogurt, olive oil, and sun-dried tomatoes instead of the mayonnaise and ketchup that are used as the base of a more traditional Russian dressing. 

The Greek yogurt is a secret weapon that amps up the dressing's sour notes, thickens its texture, and adds a hefty dose of protein to the mix. Its tanginess gets further enhanced with vinegar and cornichons, while earthy olive oil, umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs bring complex complementary flavors.

Both Classic Russian dressing and Flay's reinvented dressing offer a sweet, tangy, and spicy trifecta, but Flay's revamped version alters the proportion of flavors and transforms how you experience each taste. Classic Russian dressing typically adds multiple layers of spiciness from hot sauce, chopped onion, and horseradish, umami from Worcestershire sauce, and a smoky finish from paprika to its mayonnaise and ketchup base. But in Flay's reinvented version, heat comes not from a sauce but from dried ancho chili powder, which provides a different kind of kick. 

Consequently, Flay has transformed classic Russian dressing into a unique condiment, with broader applications to a more varied array of global dishes. The ancho chili powder and tangy vinegar and yogurt in the dressing would make a great pairing for Southwestern specialties like jalapeño poppers. It would also work well as a type of come-back sauce with Southern specialties like fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and hush puppies. 

Its wealth of rich earthy Mediterranean ingredients would make a great dipping sauce for patatas bravas, a delicious spread over a fish fillet, or on crusy bread for a fish sandwich. You could use it interchangeably with Romesco sauce, to dip or drizzle over roasted cauliflower, zucchini, and eggplant. You could use it on a Greek-style shwarma or halloumi pita. The list goes on and on!