Roasted red onion dip

A versatile snack or condiment!

Having grown up on the not-so-fancy dip of dehydrated onion soup mix stirred sour cream, I’ve not always been a fan of onion dip. Until now. I love this dip because it’s so easy to prepare and can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature or even bubbling hot. Red onions give it a nice colour and their flavour when roasted is fantastic – much mellower and sweeter than yellow onions. We use it as a sandwich spread and a dip for vegetable sticks and chips; I also like to serve it warm with crackers. This dip can be made fully in advance and refrigerated, or you can roast and refrigerate the onions ahead of time and assemble whenever it’s convenient.

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 block (250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (123 g) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• Few dashes hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup (23 g) grated Parmesan
• Minced fresh herbs (I like parsley or chives), to garnish

Method

• Preheat oven to 400F and line a small baking tray with parchment. Alternatively, onions can also be roasted at 375F in an air fryer; remove the crisping plate from the basket before adding them.
• Place diced onion in a bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat evenly then transfer to the prepared baking tray (or the air fryer basket), spreading out as much as possible. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until softened and edges are just beginning to char (about 10-12 minutes in an air fryer; 18-22 in the oven), stirring occasionally.
• Remove onions from oven and set aside to cool. If not assembling dip within a few hours, transfer onions to a glass or ceramic container; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To prepare dip, use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the softened cream cheese until creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes). Add in the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, garlic, mayonnaise and Parmesan; beat until mixture is smooth. Add the roasted onions and beat just until combined.
• Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with minced herbs. If serving warm, transfer to an oven-safe serving dish and bake 12-15 minutes in a 350F oven until hot and bubbling.

Serves 10-12 as an appetizer.