Although I love to cook and actually dont mind labour-intensive recipes (if I have the time on that particular occasion that is), I must admit that I’ve never really made the effort to do a proper “dip”.
And I’m not talking about a salsa, hummous or cheese spread-type thing, but the sort of dip that one usually purchases with a big bag of chips, with the idea that an evening of full-on couch potato sloth is on the agenda.
Here’s Rachel’s version, which involves much less guilt than the bottled variety, for snobbish as well as health reasons -as you serve this one with raw veg as well.
French Onion Dip and Chips
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, quartered lengthwise then very thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cube beef bouillon
1/2 cup water
Black pepper
1 teaspoon ground thyme, 1/3 palm full
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
2 cups sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened in microwave for 20 seconds on high
Pinch salt, optional
2 tablespoons chopped chives, 5 to 6 blades
Chips:
2 sacks chips (recommended: Onion and Garlic flavor Terra brand Yukon gold chips or other specialty chips of choice)
2 large carrots, peeled then very thinly sliced on a heavy angle
1 very firm medium sized zucchini, very thinly sliced on a heavy angle
Place a medium skillet over medium to medium high heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter. Melt butter into oil then add onions and garlic cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bouillon cube to the pan with 1/2 cup water and cook until it “melts” coats onions, stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Season the onions with pepper, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to quick-cool a bit.
In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream and softened creamed cheese using a rubber spatula. Stir in the onion mixture until completely combined, add salt if necessary and adjust your seasonings. Serve at room temperature or chill. Garnish with chives.
Pack up chips as-is. Season the veggie chips with salt and pack up with a paper towel to capture excess moisture in a plastic food bag. If serving at home, salt vegetables in single layer, let stand 5 minutes then pat dry. Arrange chips and vegetable chips around dip and serve.
Originally posted on September 20, 2006 @ 9:15 pm