About a year ago we wrote a post about all the things you could eat on, or with, potato chips. One, of course, is onion dip. In our version, it’s made with REAL onions, caramelized until brown (easy), cooled, and stirred into sour cream. It’s from Sally’s award-winning cookbook The Improvisational Cook, which will be relaunched in paperback on February 8th. We’re reprising the recipe here because it’s the perfect New Year’s Eve-and-after accompaniment to champagne and celebration; serve with excellent potato chips (we recommend rosemary-and-olive oil).

Recipe: Real Onion Dip

You can scale this recipe up to make several times the amount of servings. Just use a bigger pan and allow more cooking time.

Makes about 3 cups

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and finely diced

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Freshly ground pepper to taste

About 1 1/2 cups sour cream

A few drops fresh lemon juice

In a large nonstick skillet melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and toss to coat. Cover and cook until the onions have released liquid, about 13 minutes.

Uncover, increase the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes longer. Pepper generously and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine roughly equal parts onions and sour cream, adjusting the balance to your taste. Add salt, freshly ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice if necessary to pick up the flavors.

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Related post: the potato chip improvisations + recipe: real onion dip