DIPPITY DOO-DAH! THIS SPICY ONION DIP WILL MAKE YOUR DAY!
THROW OUT YOUR SOUP MIX! THIS SPICY ONION DIP WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF….LITERALLY….
No party or family gathering is truly complete without chips and dip, specifically onion dip. Growing up - we always made the classic onion dip with Lipton’s Onion Soup mix and sour cream…mix it the night before and put it back in the container and serve it the next day: voila! Awesomeness…and yes, it is…still is, I’m sure; BUT there is a better way… a much better; yes, it takes more time but honestly not much and it’s worth it.
If your friends and family are like mine…they like some heat in their food and they like some good junk food…and what defines junk better then chips and dip! My kids went crazy on Thanksgiving for this… of course they might have been a bit hungover but…still they went bananas…. I did put out carrot sticks with the dip also…no takers: the chips and the dip were demolished.
With the holidays here and the exciting end of football season here - it’s a great time to have dip on hand Also, have a bag of Ruffles handy! Or really good crackers, or veggies definitely work…just not in this house.
This recipe is mainly from Donald Link’s, Down South cookbook; a book I discovered whilst in New Orleans for an extended stay this summer. Honestly, I want to make every recipe in this book…but that’s another post entirely.
I’ve changed some of his amounts of things…too much salt was listed in his recipe and I’ve cut back the cayenne slightly…but that is something you can adjust to taste…remember – the hot will get hotter as it sits in the refrigerator…so, buyer beware!!! I used Vidalia onions this time but any sweet onion and probably any regular onion will work. Sweet onions are specified…but cook them low and slow and all onions get sweet …don’t they?
So here goes - It makes a lot of dip but trust me…it goes quickly!!!
I also carmelize the onions a little more than he does…but I use his ingredients and most of his proportions.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbls. Olive Oil
2 Large, sweet onions (I used Vidalia), DICED SMALL
2 Tbls. chopped, fresh thyme
11/2 Tsp. kosher salt - start there and work your way up if necessary.
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (the original recipe calls for 2 tsp. but that bordered on too hot…start here and add more if you really want to!)
11/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat…watching my figure…HA!)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbls. lemon juice
1) Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot…add the onion and sauté on medium high heat until the onion give up their water …5 minutes or so… Turn the heat to low and sauté until slightly caramelized…35 - 40 minutes or so. I don’t over brown them and I don’t want them to burn but I like some color on them.
2) Add the thyme, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes: enough time for the spices and herbs to bloom a little in the oil.
3) Remover the pan and put the mixture in a mixing bowl to cool: either on the counter or in the refrigerator. Let them come to room temperature.
4) Add the sour cream, mayonnaise and marscarpone, scallions and lemon juice and stir until combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5) Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.
6) Serve with chips, crackers or veggies!
ENJOY!!!