In-form St Mirren made their long Highland trip count after making it three wins on the bounce by seeing off the Staggies.
The international break appeared to have made no impact on the Buddies' form after a blistering first half saw the Paisley side cruising into the break with a 3-1 lead.
And while Ross County did make it interesting in the second half, the Saints held firm to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches, having bagged an impressive nine goals in their last three games.
Eamonn Brophy netted the opener, his third of the season, in superb fashion, lashing the Buddies into the lead with a powerful finish from just inside the box.
Marcus Fraser doubled their advantage with a fine header against his former employers, before Blair Spittal's deflected free-kick grabbed one back for the hosts against the run of play.
Scott Tanser's looping finish restored the Saints two-goal advantage just before the end of a breathless first half.
The Buddies continued to dominate into the second half, with Connor Ronan and Brophy both spurning chances to increase the visitors' lead.
The Staggies reduced the deficit to just one when Alex Iacovitti glanced home, and went close to bagging a leveller late on through Joseph Hungbo.
Alnwick tipped the shot to safety, with the visitors eventually hanging on to bring all three points back home to Paisley.
Buddies boss Jim Goodwin kept faith with the exact same starting XI that battled to victory over Livingston before the international break, with Alan Power partnering Ethan Erhahon in the engine room and Irish duo Jamie McGrath and Connor Ronan pulling the creative strings behind Eamonn Brophy.
Ross County were the first to threaten an opener when Blair Spittal's pinpoint free-kick picked out Alex Iacovitti, who hit the right hand post with Jak Alnwick rooted to the spot.
The goal would have been ruled out for offside anyway when the linesman raised his flag, but the chance was nevertheless an early warning sign for the visitors.
Saints had an early shout for a penalty waved away by referee David Munro when Matt Millar went to ground under pressure from a County defender.
Chances were far and few between in the opening quarter of an hour in Dingwall, with Eamonn Brophy coming closest to breaking the deadlock with a low strike that fizzed past the post.
He went one better just two minutes later when he collected an incisive Scott Tanser pass before lashing high into the net past Ash Maynard-Brewer.
The Buddies had the Highland wind in their sails and almost doubled the lead when another slick passing move saw Jamie McGrath slide in Matt Millar. The full back cut onto his weaker left foot inside the box before curling harmlessly over the bar.
Marcus Fraser showed he had no split loyalties on his return to his former stomping ground when he put in a strong challenge on David Cancola, with the Austrian venting his anger towards the referee when the defender escaped a booking.
The Staggies were struggling to keep possession on their home turf, with Regan Charles-Cook and Alex Samuel failing to make an impact in the final third in the opening half an hour.
In contrast St Mirren were extremely comfortable on the ball, with McGrath and Ronan linking up superbly and Erhahon also picking some nice passes.
County almost bagged a leveller against the run of play when former Hearts midfielder Ross Callachan received the ball inside the box after some neat build-up play from the hosts. His shot deflected towards the top corner, with Alnwick acrobatically tipping it away to safety.
St Mirren quickly restored their domination, with Tanser going close from a free-kick before Power unleashed a long drive that deflected over the bar.
Their dominance was rewarded when Fraser powerfully nodded home at the back post from a quality corner.
The Paisley side appeared to be in cruise control heading towards the break, but the Staggies halved the deficit with a hint of good fortune.
Spitall's powerful free-kick took a wicked deflection off the wall before spinning just out of Alnwick's reach.
The breathless game refused to slow down before half-time, with St Mirren netting their third when Scott Tanser cleverly looped a clinical finish over Maynard-Brewer to restore their two-goal advantage.
Brophy was clearly in the mood to add to his tally after the break. First he sent a low shot from distance skidding just past the post, before spurning a close-range opportunity shortly afterwards that in all likelihood would have put the game to bed.
Ronan was next to pass up a glorious chance, poking well wide after Matt Millar's cut back found him in all sorts of space in the Staggies box.
Tanser and Power both fired over the bar as St Mirren picked up where they left off in the first half, enjoying almost total control of the match.
Once again it was a set piece that threatened to pull Ross County back within touching distance against the run of play.
Another pinpoint Spittal free-kick found its way to Harry Clarke in the box, with his shot deflecting onto the outside of the post with Alnwick rooted to the spot.
The second half was far less frenetic than the opening 45 minutes, with the Buddies slightly happier to try and manage the game and maintain their lead.
The Staggies weren't for lying down though and they clawed their way back into touching distance when Iacovitti glanced Clarke's excellent delivery past Alnwick.
Ryan Flynn was brought on to replace Erhahon, who was struggling with an injury, and almost immediately went into the referee's book after a late challenge on the edge of the box.
Curtis Main and Richard Tait joined the action as the Buddies looked to hang onto their lead heading into the last 15 minutes.
Brophy blazed a shot from distance wide as the visitors tried to put the game to bed, but it was the hosts who looked more likely to find the net again in the closing stages.
A superb block from Alan Power denied Spittal's goal-bound effort, before Alnwick pulled off an excellent near-post save to keep out substitute Joseph Hungbo's low drive.
And while the Staggies continued to push for a late leveller, Goodwin's side held firm to bag an impressive third win on the spin.
