Serve Your Garlic Knots With These Delicious Dips

Garlic knots are the new fancy party food and everyone seems to have taken a real liking to them. Cheesy and crispy in texture, garlic knots are a type of garlic bread that were previously found primarily in pizzerias around New York City and the surrounding regions. Thanks to the fast culinary exchange that exists today globally, garlic knots can now be found at many speciality restaurants across many cities in India. 

Garlic knots are typically made from bread dough. The dough is rolled and then pulled into tight and small overhand knots. The knots are then pre-baked in a pizza oven. The baked knots are dipped in a mix of oil, crushed garlic, Parmesan cheese, finely chopped parsley, dried oregano etc. Before serving, garlic knots are baked a second time. Since garlic knots don’t particularly rank high on being flavourful as a dish in themselves, they need to be paired with an appropriate dip. The accompanying dip should compliment the cheesy and crispy texture of the garlic knots. If you’re getting overwhelmed by thinking of which dip to serve along with garlic knots at your dinner party, here are a few dip recommendations: 

Alfredo Sauce 

This sauce is a safe pick when it comes to pairing dips with garlic knots. The simple Italian pasta sauce is made with parmesan cheese, salt, butter and pepper. The thick and creamy Alfredo sauce induces a savoury taste when garlic knots are dipped in it. If you don’t like to eat spicy dips, the Alfredo sauce is the perfect pick for you. This dip is a good choice to pair the garlic knots with, when serving children. To make the alfredo sauce, in a medium saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Whisk in heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, to thicken and serve warm with the knots.

Pizza sauce or Marinara sauce and garlic knots are a pair made in food heaven. This basil and tomato dip when consumed along with garlic knots gives the experience of eating mini pizza bites. The Marinara sauce permeates the soft dough of the garlic knot and induces a Margherita flavour to the knots. To make the Pizza sauce, all you have to do is mix tomato paste with water, olive oil, garlic cloves (minced), salt, dried oregano, and dried basil in a small bowl, and whisk together.

Fresh oregano, parsley, and cilantro come together with a heavy pour of red wine vinegar for a punchy condiment that’s the perfect dip to dunk your garlic knots in. There are strong garlic, parsley and cilantro flavours in this dip  that impart it a zesty, pungent and fragrant taste. Don’t confuse the Chimichurri sauce with the Pesto sauce just because they share the same colour. They both use different herbs. While Pesto calls for any combination of herbs (but favors fresh basil), Chimichurri gets its signature flavor from parsley and oregano. Even their textures and flavour profiles are different. Pair your garlic knots with Chimichurri sauce to get a zesty kick.