Nick Johnson
The Benjamin’s caramelized onion dip can be served with potato chips, crudité, and a generous scoop of caviar
There’s a reason that onion dip is served at practically every Super Bowl party: it’s hard to beat the punchiness of alliums blitzed with sour cream and spooned over salty potato chips. But instead of relying on a parcel of powdered onion dip, why not make your Super Bowl party dip worthy on an event that comes only once a year?
“Onion dip was a staple in my family growing up,” says Ben Shenassafar, a founding partner of the Benjamin, a Hollywood hot spot that opened last June. “Still to this day, when I have friends over, you can count on it being served. So when opening the restaurant I felt it was a no brainer.”
The key to the Benjamin’s successful onion dip was refining the version that Shenassafar grew up with. The dip begins with a blend of caramelized yellow onions, red onions, and shallots. The sweetness of the onions gets tempered by crème fraîche, sour cream, and cream cheese, but is bolstered by savory Worcestershire sauce and a kiss of sherry vinegar. To truly amplify the onion flavor, dehydrated onion and garlic is used, too.
Although the dip is worthy of the big game as is, Shenassafar encourages straying from the restaurant recipe to customize the dip to your liking. “Maybe make it spicy by adding peppers, or throw some bacon in it,” he suggests. “Or how about some truffles? I’d let your imagination run wild.”
At the Benjamin, the onion dip is served with homemade potato chips and a generous scoop of caviar, but you can pair it with celery, carrots, radishes, and sweet peppers, too. “I could see myself grabbing a stack of crackers as well,” says Shenassafar, “but to each their own.”
The Benjamin Onion Dip Recipe
Makes approximately 1 quart
Ingredients:
For the caramelized onions:
3 large yellow onions
1-2 medium red onions
2-3 medium shallots
1 tablespoon butter
For the dip:
⅔ cup caramelized onions
⅓ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cream cheese
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
¾ teaspoon Tabasco
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 turns of freshly cracked pepper
½ cup diced caramelized onions (to fold in)
To garnish:
Dehydrated fresno powder (optional, a sprinkle)
Chopped chives
Instructions:
Step 1: Slowly caramelize the onions and shallots with butter and a pinch of salt over low heat until deeply browned. Let cool.
Step 2: Blend the caramelized onions with sour cream, cream cheese, crème fraîche, Worcestershire sauce, sherry vinegar, soy sauce, Tabasco, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Step 3: Fold in the additional diced caramelized onions.
Step 4: Garnish with dehydrated Fresno powder and chopped chives before serving.
