This recipe is my party trick, and I trot it out year-round. People who have only ever had store-bought onion dip or the kind made with a packet of soup mix actually moan when they taste it—it’s that good.
I like it best with potato chips, I confess, but it’s so tasty that my kids will eat large quantities of raw vegetables when they can dip them into this. Don’t rush the onions. They need time to caramelize to a deep, golden brown. Note that I dice them because they dip up better that way. Sliced onions leave you with strings of onion hanging down from your potato chip, which is less aesthetically pleasing.
I won’t even add my secret ingredient to the list below, but here it is: 1 tablespoon fish sauce. You’ve either gotten onboard the fish-sauce bandwagon or you haven’t, but if you have, you know it adds depth and richness—an indefinable feel of meatiness and body that’s called umami. This dip is delicious without fish sauce; with, sublime.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce (such as Crystal or Durkee’s), or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a light sprinkling of salt. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat if there’s any hint of burning, until the onions are a deep, rich, golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Set them aside and let them cool to warm.
- In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the onions and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings I usually want a little more hot sauce, which adds not so much heat as brightness. You can eat the dip at once, or let it chill for several hours to meld the flavors.