Caramelized Onion Dip

Growing up my mother would make onion dip with a container of sour cream and a Lipton onion soup packet. She would stir the powdered soup into the container of sour cream and rip open a bag of Lays potato chips. This was the preferred snack for University of Washington Husky basketball games which we watched on TV with my dad. If she didn’t have Lipton, she would crack open a brand new container of cottage cheese and we would dip our chips in cottage cheese instead (a snack I still love all these years later).

With the Super Bowl in the not- too-distant future; a savory, yummy dip seemed like just the thing to make. As much as taking the time to caramelize onions can be a bit of a mild annoyance (they take a little time and its a fair amount of chopping and stirring), I never ever regret doing it. Give me caramelized onion anything and I’m a happy girl.

This caramelized onion dip is worth the effort, I promise you that. The onions cook down until they are jammy and savory with the help of a little balsamic vinegar for a little richness and balance. The little bit of bacon, green onion and Everything But the Bagel seasoning brings the whole thing together. You can serve it with veggies or crackers but in my humble opinion, they very best vehicle for this dip is a kettle chip.

Caramelized Onion Dip

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 large yellow onions

• 1 large shallot

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 4 pieces center-cut bacon, cooked

• 1/2 cup green onions slivered (about one bunch, white ends removed)

• 2 cups sour cream

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley minced

• Everything But The Bagel seasoning

• Kettle Chips

Start by cooking the bacon. I prefer to cook my bacon in the oven. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until preferred crispness. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate and let cool.

Thinly slice yellow onions and shallot. Give the onions a rough chop once sliced so the pieces are generally about bite-sized (they will cook down A LOT, but that’s a good place to start).

In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Add the sliced onions and shallot and cook, stirring often, until the onions begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Liberally salt and pepper the onions, stirring to combine.

Turn the heat to a low simmer and allow the onions to cook for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are a deep golden brown and have reduced by at least half, add the vinegar to the pan, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed and any little brown bits on the bottom of the pan are scraped up.

Once the liquid is absorbed, remove the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool at least 20 minutes.

In a medium size bowl, combine the sour cream and greek yogurt. Stir to combine. Slice the bacon down the middle, then dice. Chop off the white ends of the green onions and thinly slice.

Combine the caramelized onions, bacon and green onions with the sour cream mixture along with the juice of half a lemon. Give the dip a good stir and add another pinch of salt and pepper. Garnish with a generous sprinkle of Everything But The Bagel seasoning, minced flat leaf parsley and the remaining two tablespoons sliced green onions. Serve with crunchy kettle potato chips.