4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil *
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
Cut the onions in half & then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds (you will have about 3 cups of onions). Heat the butter & oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, & pepper & saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low* & cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned & caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.
Place the cream cheese, sour cream & mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment & beat until smooth. Add the onions & mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
{Food for Thought}
Agreeing with over 50 other reviews of this recipe, you definitely do not need ¼ cup vegetable oil for sautéing the onions. Just a swirl or two around the pan is good enough. Also, I always caramelize my onions on medium high so I never reduced the heat like the recipe stated. I’d leave the onions alone for a few minutes & then I would give a stir & keep doing the same until you get the nice deep brown color, which brings out their sweetness. About 20-30 minutes.
The only other modification I strongly recommend is to rough chop your onions once they are done & before adding them to your cream cheese mixture. This way, the dip is more dippable & no one is getting a huge piece of onion. Serve with potato chips & crudites such as red bell pepper & celery.
