Make Ahead

Bacon, Chive & Caramelized Onion Chip Dip

by:
January 15, 2011
4.8
4 Ratings
  • Makes about a quart of dip
Author Notes

I concocted this recipe after a craving for one of those cheap, supermarket chip dips. I figured that with some better quality ingredients, it could be over the top delicious. I have not been disappointed, and neither have my friends. It's remarkably tolerant to variation, depending on your tastes, and scales very well to mass production. Trust me, you will not have any leftovers if you bring this to a summer BBQ or a superbowl party. - morisseau —morisseau

Test Kitchen Notes

Morriseau's lovely recipe takes a bit longer than making French onion dip from a soup mix, but it is well worth the time and modest effort. The onions are caramelized and cooked to gooey brown perfection in a pan of bacon drippings. (Resist the temptation to eat up the sweetly smokey, fragrant onions prematurely. ) Next the bacon and onions are buzzed in the in the food processor, and then blended with sour cream and chopped chives. The result is deeply flavorful, and delicious not only with chips, but also with crudites or crusty French bread. I'm planning to try it as a topping for baked potatoes. Make it a few hours before serving for the flavors to develop. —AppleAnnie

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 pounds onions (Walla Walla sweets are best, but any white or yellow variety will do) , sliced 1/4 inch thick across the grain
  • 1/2 pound high quality, thick-cut bacon
  • 16 ounces sour cream or creme fraiche
  • 1/2 cup minced chives (or more to taste)
Directions
  1. Heat a skillet on medium low heat, cook bacon until pliant, but just short of crispy. Transfer bacon to paper towels to cool (do not discard bacon grease). Increase heat to medium high.
  2. Add butter to bacon grease and combine (you should have about 2-3 tablespoons of fat). Stir in salt and sugar. Add onions and stir to coat; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften (2-3 minutes). Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently (almost constantly), until onions are browned and slightly sticky, about 40 minutes longer. Remove from heat, stir in 1 tablespoon water. Let cool.
  3. Dice bacon, transfer to food processor and pulse into fine bits. Roughly chop caramelized onions, add to food processor, and pulse until you have a delicious bacon onion puree. Transfer contents to large bowl. Stir in sour cream and ¾s of the chives and mix until thoroughly combined. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle remaining chives over top of dip.
  4. Serve with sturdy potato chips, such as Ruffles.
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2 Reviews

Alyson S. February 3, 2019
WOW. That's some good stuff. Smoky, sweet, oniony perfection
 
ikediamonds January 30, 2011
Wow, this is truly sinful. I'm pretty sure I am going to make this again before the week is out.