We love chips and dip and at this time of year appetizers are often on the menu. But they can take a costly toll on the waistline. There is a simple way to make the dip better. It requires some time cooking onions but it is well worth the effort. As for chips, I recommend Kettle Brand Baked Potato chips. These are not potato mush formed into chips liked Baked Lays. They are real potatoes that are baked. Quite good and a lot less fat. Here is the recipe for the dip to go with them:
Sour Cream and Onion Dip
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet onion (Vidalia if possible)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup low fat sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon beef broth flavoring mix, preferably low sodium packets
- salt and pepper
- paprika (optional)
1. Slice onion into this strips.
2. Pour oil into large non-stick or iron skillet and heat at medium high.
3. As oil begins to glisten, add onions and stir to coat onions with oil. Turn heat down to medium low or low depending on how your stove and skillet cook. You want the onions to be cooking but not getting black.
4. The onions now have to cook for about 25 minutes over low heat, stirring periodically to make sure they do not stick and burn. This will caramelize the onions, which means the sugars will start to brown. Use this time for some meditation. Contemplate life. Smell the aromas. Be patient. The following pictures show the progression you should see:
5. Place cooked onions into a food processor and give it a whirr to coarsely chop them. You will have about a 1/2 cup after cooking and chopping.
6. Mix onions, sour cream, and beef broth flavoring in a large bowl and stir. Note that the beef broth mix will give it a smokier onion soup flavor but it is not essential. if you don’t have any on hand, you can use only salt, pepper and paprika. You can also add herbs like oregano and thyme to liven it up. Use your imagination.
7. Now comes the hardest part: adding the salt and pepper. Add the spices a little at a time, take a taste, and see where you are. Add a smidge of paprika but not more than that. You will be surprised to find out that you will not need a lot of salt. Here is a hint. Instead of just randomly adding it to a recipe when it is called for, add it to your food after it is cooked, unless there is some specific reason to use salt (like in baking or in a spice rub). Salting your food at the finish will result in the use of a lot less salt because it is on top of your food for your taste buds to sense. I rarely add salt when I am cooking. I salt my food at the table.
8. Once you get the salt and pepper to where you want them, enjoy!
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