Nothing will keep your friends, family, and even strangers at an arms length away (or further) from you than taking just one bite of skordalia (garlic dip). Any bites after that and you can guarantee to be quarantined. No wonder it’s my favorite dip. I’m a people person, but a no touchy-touchy in my personal space type of people person. So, I like to keep some skordalia handy.

Skordalia is a dip defined by the skorda (garlic). And we’re talking lots of garlic. Traditionally, skordalia is puréed with potatoes as the base, but it can also be made with bread, nuts, or both to add a little more texture. The potato version has a smooth consistency and is basically like super garlicky mashed potatoes. My version of skordalia foregoes the potatoes and uses bread and walnuts as the base. It’s a method I’ve always preferred. For one, you cut the cooking time it takes to boil and mash the potatoes. And two, it’s all about the garlic anyway.

Did I mention there’s a lot of garlic in this dip? There’s a lot of garlic in this dip. To balance out the strong garlic taste, a tall glass of wine and a complimentary meal will do the trick. Skordalia is typically paired with fried cod or boiled beets, which is a favorite in my household. But that’s not the only things skordalia is good for.  Skordalia makes for a perfect party platter with an arrangement of dipping items such as bread, chips, and vegetables.

To make my version of skordalia, your only job is to combine all the ingredients into a food processor and allow the machine to do all the work until you reach the desired consistency. The goal is for the dip to reach a creamy, yet slightly thick consistency, but not too thick that a chip would break with one scoop. You may have to play around with adding more club soda or olive oil until you get there. Still, it doesn’t take long at all. Grab some garlic (and caution tape to warn those you’ll be around), and give this dip a go.