Caramelized Onion Dip

Most people are familiar with the onion dip that uses a carton of sour cream and Lipton Onion soup mix. However, homemade onion dip isn't hard to make and you can do plenty of other prep work while waiting for the onions to caramelize. The key is to get the onions well caramelized to lend their rich golden brown hue to this dip.

Caramelized Onion Dip

INGREDIENTS
2 large onions (yellow, sweet or vidalia)
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil of your choice
8 oz sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
paprika
2 Tbsp water

DIRECTIONS
Clean onions and remove outer most layers, cut off bottom 1/4" of onion
Cut onions in half from top to bottom
Slice every 1/4" into thin half rings, separate onion slices into strips
Place butter and oil into large pan and melt over medium heat
Add onions to pan and stir to coat
Stir onions every minute or so until onions become a rich brown caramel color. Do not burn these, you want them a rich golden brown color (20-25 minutes)
Once onions are translucent, but before they are golden brown, sprinkle them with salt, pepper and paprika, about 1/2 tsp each
Once onions are caramelized, taste them! If needed, add more salt, pepper or paprika. Once you are happy with the flavor, move them to a strainer to allows excess liquid to drip off
Add water to pan and stir up all the browned bits off the pan, reduce to 1-2 tsp
In a mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth
Mix sour cream and reduced onion broth into cream cheese mixture
Gently stir in onions
Place covered in refrigerator for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to meld