All You Need To Know About Ina Garten's Famous Eight-Ingredient Recipe

Ina Rosenberg Garten is an author and show host known for her numerous cookbooks and appearance on the Food Network program "Barefoot Contessa." The host was previously a staff of the White House Office of Management and Budget and was mentored by Anna Pump, Eli Zabar, and Martha Stewart.

Since the show started 19 years ago, "Barefoot Contessa" gained massive viewers, and the chef became one of the most loved celebrity chefs in America. Garten once revealed that her mouth-watering dishes wouldn't have gotten to the big screen because she previously rejected the Food Network when they offered her a show.

Besides her hearty meals, Garten is popular for her mouth-watering appetizers. Her Kielbasa with Mustard Dip is one of the many appetizers she's made on her show. According to the chef, the appetizer is easy to make compared to her other recipes.

Although Kielbasa with mustard dip is an exquisite recipe, the appetizer was created because Garten wanted a quick bite for her guests. On page 52 of her book, "Modern Comfort Food," the author explained that she had some people coming over to her East Hampton house in New York and needed something to serve them. She started whipping up something in the kitchen, and the Kielbasa with mustard dip recipe came to life.

In her 2020 "Barefoot Contessa" cookbook, the chef said, "Sometimes you just need an appetizer fast! Friends were stopping by, and I hadn't planned a thing to serve, so I went to the fridge and found some really good kielbasa sausage." She continued, "I sliced it, seared it in a pan, and served it — right from the pan — with a good mustard dip. They loved it!"

In addition to being a tasty dish, Kielbasa gained its reputation for being a really easy dish to make. In an Instagram post, Garten said the dish was "the easiest appetizer" ever and proved so in the newest season of "Barefoot Contessa." The chef started the season with the dish and revealed that it only needed eight ingredients, including salt and pepper, to be made.

This is in tow with the simple meals Garten is known for. The cook show host paired smoked sausage with her own version of a mustard dip for the appetizer. Garten mixed two different types of mustard from her pantry with her "good" mustard to add another layer of taste to her dip. Besides that, she included some horseradish into the mixture too.

Most of the work went into searing the sausage, so it was a free-fall after that. After the two parts of the recipe are done, the Kielbasa with Mustard dip dish should be served after 15 minutes.

Although Kielbasa and Mustard dip recipe isn't close to Garten's more popular recipes like Perfect Roast Chicken or Beatty's Chocolate Cake, it's no spring chicken. With 14 reviews of its own on Food Network's website from people who tried the recipe, the dish is growing to be a crowd favorite due to how easy and delicious it is.

The Kielbasa and Mustard dip recipe is currently at 4.5 stars. People who remade the dish gave great reviews on the Food Network site. One said, "This was a big hit at our holiday party. People were raving about it."

A second viewer mentioned that they tried it at home after seeing the recipe on television, and the taste was just as promised. They said," I'm always about small bites, so when I saw this show this a.m., I went to my freezer, thawed a pound of sausage In a little water, fried it up, whipped up the sauce, and voilà!"

"Barefoot Contessa" is a popular show, but Garten revealed that she almost didn't take the offer. In fact, she refused the offer multiple times when the Food Network came knocking. The network was used to being hounded by chefs for a show, so Garten's refusal shocked them.

Garten mentioned the story to the host of MSNBC Willie Geist in a virtual author luncheon benefit. She said, "For years, I said no, and they kept coming back with a better offer. I said, 'I'm not negotiating. I just don't think I can do this.'"

She continued, "They said, 'People send us hams to even get an appointment to try and get a show.'" After running the show for almost two straight decades, the celebrity chef revealed that she didn't regret the decision because the ride was "amazing."