Recently I was sent a package of every flavour of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing! If that’s not inspiration to hit the grocery store and come up with the best recipe I can dream up, I don’t know what is!
Hubster and I spent a few days trying out a couple of different recipes we created ourselves and here are the results-
who will win? Hubster with his Twice Baked Cheesy Ranch Potato or Mama with her Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza????
Twice Baked Cheesy Ranch Potato
Recipe Yields 4 servings.
3 Large Russett Potatoes
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Cheese Ranch Dressing
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Chopped Green Onion
2-3 Strips of Bacon, Cooked and Crumbled ( real bacon bits work in a pinch)
Grated Cheddar Cheese
1. Wash potato and pierce several times with fork and cook on full power in the microwave for 8 minutes. Turn over, and continue to cook for 8 more minutes until soft. If you have a potato button on you microwave, this should work fine too.
2. Turn on oven and set to Broil.
3. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out potato and set aside. Leave about 1/8 inch of potato so you do not damage the skin (you’ll want to get pretty close to the skin, don’t worry if you do damage one, you only need to have 4 good halves)
4. Brush the 4 best potato skins with olive oil on both sides. Place on cookie sheet and broil in oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
5. While the skins are in the oven, add Hidden Valley Cheese Ranch Dressing to potatoes and blend until smooth. Add more Hidden Valley Cheese Ranch Dressing, as required.
6. Mix in Green Onion and Bacon.
* Mom vs. the Boys TIP: Store chopped green onion in the freezer in a ziploc bag or container and use in recipes when needed.*
7. Scoop potato mixture into the 4 browned potato skins. Top with grated cheddar cheese to taste. Broil in oven until cheese melts, approximately 5 minutes.
Tasty, Tasty – but now for Mama’s Creation!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Pizza Dough:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
5 cups all purpose flour
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in teh warm water. Let sit about 10 min until creamy.
2. Stir in olive oil, whole wheat flour, salt and 4 cups of the all purpose flour in the the yeast mixture. Mix in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 min. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth ( we use a tea towel) and put in warm place to rise until doubled in volume; about an hour.
3. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and form into rounds. Cover the rounds and let them rest for about 10 min.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
5. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into desired shape.
Toppings:
So you can see from the picture above that each side looks a little different. I tried two different ways to make the pizza. One side with both ranch and bbq sauce and one side with just the spicy ranch, it was really good both ways.
BBQ sauce (optional)
Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing
1/2 an Onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 chicken breast, sliced
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tomato, sliced thin
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
In a frying pan add oil, onions and chicken; cook the onions down until caramelized and chicken is cooked through.
Option 1: Spread a layer of your favourite bbq sauce evenly over the surface of the pizza dough and then another layer of Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch dressing over top of that.
Option 2. Spread a layer of Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch dressing evenly over the surface of the pizza dough.
Top with chicken, onions, bacon, tomato and cheese. Use as much or as little cheese and sauces as you would like.
Bake at 425 degrees F for about 15 min or until the crust and cheese is golden brown.
Yummers right??? Soooo who won the Hidden Valley Ranch Recipe Battle between the Hubster and Mama?????
sigh…. it was the Hubster!
yeah, it really was! We fell in love with that Twice Baked Cheesy Ranch Potato, the Cheese Ranch dressing really gave it a creamy kick and was so delicious! It even tasted fantastic the next day as leftovers! The pizza was delish, don’t get me wrong, but hands down the potato was the challenge winner! hats off to Hubster!
Okay so now that we have our own family winner, we will be submitting the recipe to a bigger contest, one where there is actually prizes! lol Chef Ned Bell will be doing the judging and Hubster’s recipe will be up against 15 of Canada’s top food bloggers (and recipe junkies). Do you think a lowly potato will be enough to win?? Taste if for yourself and you will see that it’s more than you expected, it’s amazing!
This post was sponsored by Hidden Valley Ranch. all recipes and opinions are my own.
Hoooolllly. That pizza looks AMAZING.
I totally would have bet on the pizza! LOL I’m putting my recipe up today; isn’t this contest the most fun thing ever? 🙂
seriously fun! I bet you have something fantastic up your sleeve!
omg,,they both sound soo soo yummy!! We cant get Hidden Valley dressing here..booo 🙁
what? really? where are you? lol
Im in NL..in the boonies..lol..no Hidden Valley dressing here anywhere,.:(
oh no! how awful! lol
This pizza looks amazing and I will try it as the chicken ingredient is one I’ve not tried on a pizza.
This pizza looks amazing! My daughters, who are ranch dressing nutbars, would gobble this up in a second!
Both these recipes look and sound fab! I think tho that the my pick would have to be the pizza!! I am a pizza fanatic!! BUT I am totally going to make both and tonight I am making the Twice Baked Cheesy Ranch Potato …I’m hoping that I can get the Hidden Valley Cheese Ranch dressing here in Ontario. I haven’t even looked or paid attention before now. I used it all the time when I lived in Ohio!! so good. If not, then I’ll be shopping for one maybe similar. All these fabulous recipes and making me hungarrrry!!! lol
you can definitely get it here in Ontario, enjoy!
Both recipes sound amazing! Ranch really makes everything taste better!
chicken bacon ranch pizza was delish! thanks for the recipe!
Mmm.. Both look delicious! I’d eat them for one meal! lol
Both meals look so good!
these look really good 🙂 I love baked potatoes, never had one with Hidden Valley Cheese Ranch Dressing though, certainly sounds like I’d enjoy that too though 🙂
I wish I had that potato right in front of me right now!
Potato or pizza they both make my mouth water.
The Ranch potatoes look really yummy; need to make them.
Both recipes look yummy to me.
OMG this looks delicious and I love the toppings
Oh my these bothlook very tasty
I would love to try the pizza! It looks amazing!
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza sounds amazing thanks for the recipe,i cant wait to try it !!
I use salad dressing for other things all the time, I prefer a white pizza so there are many creamy dressings I use, I also use dressings as a glaze on meats. So easy
The Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza looks like a winner.
I just had a baked potato at the Winona Peach Festival yesterday, it was just like this
sounds like a fun event!
This looks amazing! My boys would love it!
The pizza looks yummy!
That pizza does look really tasty.
I need to try this,we love Hidden Valley dressing
I really need to make this every time i see that pizza my mouth waters
That pizza sounds awesome!
I tried the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing without telling the family and it was a hit ,they liked the new taste but couldn’t figure out what the new taste was and i wasn’t telling tell they were finished
ohhh yummy sounds delish especially that pizza , i am a sucker for pizza lol , a must try , thanks for sharing 🙂
This recipe for Pizza is so good that I think I will try to make it myself. I have saved it and hope to make it next week,
That is my favorite type of pizza!
I’ve never tried a ranch pizza before! And with bacon? Oh yes please! I bet it has a nice tangy flavor!
I would eat both of these. I love pizza and potatoes regardless of how they are prepared.
I know I would enjoy both of these recipes! They both look delsih!
pizza looks so yummy
This all looks delicious.and Ranch dressing tastes great on anything and everything
After reading both recipes, I would vote for the pizza. I think they both sound delicious. Thank you for sharing.
I’m not sure if they make the Hidden Valley Cheese Ranch Dressing anymore because I’ve looked and I can’t find it or the Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing which is a shame because they both sound really tasty.