ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Dressing up your dressing is an easy way to level up flavor at your dinner table.

Uptown Eats owner Dan Schmidt says the secret to a good dressing is combining garlic, dried herbs, chives and oil before adding the other ingredients.

“So I’m gonna simmer the garlic in the olive oil for about half an hour, low temperature,” Schmidt said, standing in his St. Pete kitchen.

“It’s gonna soften the garlic, it’s gonna infuse the olive oil. It’s gonna sweeten the garlic.”

Once cooled, Schmidt emulsifies the mixture and adds the rest of the ingredients.

He mixes a further and the dressng is done!

Recipe

• 3 cups of oil
• 12 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of dried herbs (Italian)
• 1 cup of lemon juice
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup mustard
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1 cup water
• Sprinkle of kosher salt and cracked pepper