Caramelized Onion Dip
A few years back, my husband and I went to a local bar and ordered some onion dip with pretzels. It was amazing! On a whim, my husband asked the waiter if the chef would give us the recipe. The waiter came back later with the recipe scrawled out on a piece of paper. I was totally shocked (and thrilled) that they gave it to us! Of course it was enough to make a restaurant-sized vat of it, but still! Beggars can’t be choosers, right. 😉 We went home and tried to scale it down to a reasonable amount and made it. We have been making it ever since with some of our own tweaks and now I’m sharing it with you. We can all use a good onion dip recipe in our back pocket now that sportsball season is here (can you tell I’m not much of a sports fan, he he) and the holidays are just around the corner (how is it mid-September already?!?).
Let’s get our dip on!
First things first, you need to caramelize the onions. If you’ve never made caramelized onions, you totally should! Not only are they the basis for this dip, but they are great on burgers or sandwiches, on a cheese plate, in eggs, as a spread, the possibilities are endless. They are fairly simple, but take some time. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Then add your onions. I know it looks like way too many onions but they will cook down a lot. Now just cook them until they are golden brown, or even a dark brown if you want a sweeter more rich onion flavor. Stir them every 5-10 minutes and scrape the bottom of the pan to get any bits that stick to the bottom. Mine took a little over an hour to get the color I wanted. Your time may vary, depending on how big your onions are, etc.
While the onions are caramelizing, you’re going to cook the Brandy. Pour it into a small pan and cook over medium heat, until it bubbles and you can smell the Brandy. This should only take a couple of minutes. We’re just burning off some of the alcohol. Pour the Brandy into a bowl to cool.
Once your onions are done caramelizing, add them to a food processor with all of the other ingredients. Blend until creamy and smooth. Taste and add more salt and Worcestershire sauce to your liking.
Chill until you’re ready to serve.
This dip has all kinds of uses! It’s obviously a perfect dip for potato chips and fresh veggies. I’ve also used it a shmear on sandwiches or burgers, mixed into scrambled eggs and also as a topping for nachos. This recipe makes quite a bit of dip, so it’s perfect for parties. It’ll last at least a week in the fridge, so we usually serve it for a party and then have some left for ourselves to snack on the rest of the week. 🙂
I’d love to hear how you end up using this dip. Let me know in the comments!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large Walla Walla sweet or yellow onions, sliced into thin half moons
- 2 cups chopped green onions (about 2 bunches)
- 1/4 cup Brandy
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- 4 cups sour cream
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add your onions and cook them until they are golden brown, or a dark brown if you prefer a sweeter more rich onion flavor. Stir them every 5-10 minutes and scrape the bottom of the pan to get any bits that stick to the bottom.
- While the onions are caramelizing, pour the Brandy into a small pan and cook over medium heat, until it bubbles and you can smell it. Pour the Brandy into a bowl to cool.
- Once the onions are done caramelizing, add them to a food processor with all of the other ingredients. Blend until creamy and smooth.
- Taste and add more salt and Worcestershire sauce to taste.
- Chill until ready to serve.