Dill + Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Five minutes, five ingredients, and it goes with almost everything.
This is the sauce I make more than any other. Thick Greek yogurt, a lot of fresh dill, raw garlic, salt, and a pour of really good olive oil on top. It takes five minutes and turns grilled chicken, roasted vegetables or a bowl of lentils into a meal.
The garlic is the part that matters. Raw garlic is sharp right after you mince it, but it softens as it sits in the yogurt. Make it 30 minutes ahead and the flavors come together; make it a day ahead and the garlic gets bolder. Either way is good. You get to choose.
Dill + Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
- ½ cup chopped fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons good finishing olive oil
On the yogurt: use whole-milk Greek yogurt. It's thick enough to hold a swoosh on the plate and rich enough to stand up to the raw garlic. Low-fat yogurt tastes thinner and sharper.
Method
1. Mix
Stir the yogurt, garlic, dill and salt together in a bowl. Taste and add more salt if it needs it. The salt is what makes the dill and garlic taste like themselves.
2. Rest
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the garlic mellows and the dill flavors the yogurt.
3. Finish
Spread it in a shallow bowl, making a swoosh with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with your best finishing olive oil (mine came home with me from Provence) and finish with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.
Ways to Use It
- Under grilled chicken, lamb or salmon
- Spooned over a bowl of mushroom lentils
- With roasted cauliflower, carrots or potatoes
- As a dip for warm pita, cucumbers and radishes
- In place of mayo on a chicken sandwich or in a wrap
- On a grain bowl with greens, chickpeas and a squeeze of lemon
Variations
- Bright: add the zest of half a lemon.
- Fresh: swap half the dill for chopped mint.
- Tzatziki-style: grate half a cucumber, squeeze out the water in a towel, and stir it in.
- Warm: finish with a pinch of Aleppo pepper or a dusting of Fleurish Farm Roast.
Make Ahead + Storage
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 4 days; the garlic gets stronger each day. Add the olive oil just before serving.
This sauce is part of my Mediterranean Dinner with Chicken, Mushrooms, Lentils + Cauliflower.