Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, cottage cheese, ranch dressing mix, 1/2 cup chopped pickles, 1/4 cup pickle juice, and dill until well combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to allow the dip to thicken slightly.
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine butter and 2 tablespoons pickle juice. Bring to a simmer, about 1 minute. Add fried onion strings and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons pickle juice, then continue to cook, stirring, until the fried onion strings are deep brown and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in the skillet for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the crispy pickled-fried onion strings mixture into the dip until combined. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with about 1/3 cup of the remaining pickled-fried onion strings. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped pickles and additional fresh dill.
4. The dip (without fried onions) can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. Leftover dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (fried onions will soften).
5. Yields 2 cups / serves 8