Michael Romano's Famous Mustard Dip

It is always a treat to stop by the Romano's house, especially when there's cooking involved!  Whether it's his delicious biscotti or signature tomato sauce, Michael Romano's dishes are the ones you want to recreate at home.  So when Mike and I were invited over to make lasagna and meatballs, we jumped at the chance.  I fully intended to take tons of pictures and copious notes for future use, but the problem is, I got totally distracted.  You see, there always seems to be a dish of pretzels and the famous mustard dip out for nibbling when we stop by.  This isn't just any mustard dip either- it is highly addictive!  Over the years, I'm pretty sure I've eaten my weight in pretzels and Romano mustard dip.  It's a little sweet from the honey and brown sugar, but not overly so.  The tabasco sauce and crushed red pepper flakes give it a little kick to balance out that sweetness.

It is so so good and coincidentally, so so easy to make.  Believe it or not, the recipe I've included is one fourth of the original- the Romano's make it in bulk and share! I contemplated cutting the recipe down even further, but it is so convenient to use 1 jar of mayo, 1 jar of mustard, and 1 bottle of honey rather than a little bit of each.  What could you do with all of that leftover mayo anyway?  Even at one fourth of the original, the recipe still makes quite a lot, so I always have a few clean and empty jars on hand for bottling it.  It keeps so well in the fridge and is perfect for sharing!

The Famous Mustard Dip

Ingredients:

32 ounce jar regular mayonnaise
16 ounce bottle yellow mustard
16 ounce bottle honey
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 ounces dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste

Directions:
1.  Combine first six ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2.  Fold in onion flakes, poppy seeds and red pepper flakes.
3.  Stir until ingredients are fully combined and season to taste with a little salt.
4.  Portion into jars with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate.
*This dip is best made ahead of time so the flavors can really develop.