Sweet Chili Mayonnaise

Say "no more" to the same old spreads and dips and go for something innovative and different. Our easy recipe for sweet chili mayonnaise makes a creamy spread that doubles as a sauce for fried chicken fingers, chips, crudités, or fish or mozzarella sticks, among many other dishes. Just three ingredients and five minutes are all that you need, plus one hour in the fridge to allow the flavors to develop and the sauce to set. The recipe is easily customizable to your palate, so first make it following our measurements, taste test, and add more spice to suit your preferences. The sauce keeps well in the fridge for a few days, as long as no pieces of other foods have fallen into it. Use it to replace more traditional spreads when serving burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, or wraps. If using homemade mayonnaise, be mindful that the texture won't be as thick as if you were using store-bought mayo, but it'll be equally delicious.

Use the sauce in many other recipes and not just as a spread, as this is a versatile mixture. Make a spicy pasta or potato salad with crunchy vegetables such as carrots, celery, and peppers. Add olive oil, lemon juice, and a splash of vinegar to the mayo sauce to make a creamy dressing for fresh salads—iceberg lettuce, romaine hearts, endive, and even radicchio will go wonderfully with this flavor profile. Add a few chopped pickles to give tang and texture and use the spread on ham-heavy sandwiches that could use some acid to offset the meatiness; think of smoked hams, BLTs, pastrami or roast beef. Leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken coated with this mayo makes a wonderful salad to fill lettuce cups. Egg salad and tuna salad could have a makeover with this spicy mayo. Serve alongside cocktail sausages, little empanadas, tequeños, tofu nuggets, spring rolls, or peel-and-eat shrimp.

This isn't an egg-free preparation, but it can be if you use a vegan mayonnaise, which will also make it suitable for plant-based diets. For an alternative version, use full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream. Though rather tangy, these preparations are also delicious.