Caramelized Onion Dip

Every year my family goes to the beach on vacation. 

Every year I make this dip.

Every year Katie and I eat it all.

Katie loves onions as much as I do.

I love Katie.

I love the beach.

I love this dip.

Even though I'm not at the beach this week, I made this dip.  I, um, needed to practice making it for vacation.  Just to be sure I remembered how to make it and all.

You'll need to heat some butter and olive oil in a big skillet.  We need a big skillet to caramelize the onions because onions start big and finish small.

I'll show you.

You'll need two big sweet onions.  Vidalias, of course.  Cut the ends off, chop them in half and slice 'em up.  Thin.

Cook the onions on medium heat for about 25-30 minutes.  Stir them frequently.  Cooking the onions slowly like this will allow all of the sugar to come out and will make them incredibly sweet and tender.  If you think you don't like onions, you've got to try this because this cooking process makes them taste very un-onion-y.

While the onions cook, get the rest of the ingredients ready.  Here's what we need:

Half of a block of cream cheese, and a heaping quarter cup each of mayo and sour cream.

When the onions have cooked for about a half hour, add some seasonings.  Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.  The cayenne pepper gives the onions a nice pinkish color.

Look how much the onions shrunk!

Crazy.

While the onions are still hot, put them directly into a food processor.  Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo. 

There's no reason to soften the creeam cheese.  The heat from the onions will do that for us.

Pulse it together until it's all combined and the onions are little pieces running throughout.

This makes almost exactly two cups of dip.  I know that because this is a 2-cup container. 

You can eat it immediately, which is how I like it.  It's still kind of warm from the onions and it's very creamy.  It's also great chilled in the refrigerator.  When it's cold, it firms up and becomes thicker.  Good both ways.

Serve with pretty much anything.  Cardboard, a spoon, it really doesn't matter.  This dip is that good.

But since I had some potato chips with ridges, I used those.  They were even reduced-fat chips.  Good thing, since I certainly didn't cut down on the fat in the dip.

Make this.  And pretend you're on vacation.

I think that's the second time I've said that this week.  I guess I can't wait to go on vacation!

Caramelized Onion Dip
Inspired by Barefoot Contessa

2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 large sweet onions, cut in half and sliced thin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground red (cayenne) pepper
Heaping 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Heaping 1/4 cup sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 25-30 minutes, until the onions are very soft and have shrunk to about 1/4 the volume you started with.  When the onions are done, add the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. 

Put the onions into the food processor bowl (fitted with the steel blade) and add the mayo, sour cream, and cream cheese.  Pulse until everything is combined.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with chips, crackers and/or raw veggies.