1/4 cup oil (olive or canola)
4 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
Pinch of salt
1 vegetable stock pot
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt (either no-, low-, or full-fat)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (either table salt or celery salt) or to taste
Add the oil and onions along with a big pinch of salt to a large sauté pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions caramelize into a deep brown color. This may take 15 minutes or more. You may need to add a splash of water or wine towards the end if the onions begin to burn.
When the onions are done, turn off the heat and stir in the stock pot. Strip the leaves from the two sprigs of thyme and add to the onions. Let cool.
In a bowl, mix the cooled onions and the yogurt until blended. Stir in several turns of freshly ground black pepper. Taste for salt. If you are serving this with salted chips, be sure to use one for your final tasting so you can adjust accordingly.
Serve garnished with a sprig of thyme and surrounded by your dippers of choice (see below). This dip can be made a day in advance, kept well-covered in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
The thyme and celery salt are optional, but I really like the bright, vegetal quality they offer to the dip.
The dip tastes better if it’s given several hours for the flavors to blend. It can even be made the day before with excellent results.
The onions can be caramelized a day or two in advance as well. Follow the recipe through Step 2 then place the cooled onions in a container, cover, and refrigerate until needed.
The texture of the dip calls for finely chopped onions. This means they will cook more quickly and burn more easily than larger cuts of onion when caramelizing, so keep an eye on them, stirring frequently. It also helps to keep a little water or wine nearby so the pan can be quickly deglazed and cooled if the onions start to scorch.
Potato chips are the classic dipping vehicle but fresh vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks, cut up bell pepper strips, radishes, and so on are great.
