Prepare the breath mints for this one. It’s got loads of onion flavor and beats of the other onion dips that come in a jar.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that room temperature stuff in a jar. I have fond memories of eating it voraciously at friends’ birthday parties in the late 90s. In my version, I like to use three kinds of alliums — fried shallots, raw scallions, and caramelized red onions. This way, you get to taste all of the various kinds in one creamy, beautiful dip that is still an homage to the pre-made, shelf-stable variety. Yes, it does feature a tiny bit of MSG for flavor enhancement without tons of additional salt. Remember, MSG is find as long as it’s consumed in moderation, there are no studies that prove it’s harmful for humans.

Classically, I like pairing this with plain Ruffles chips but this would be fabulous with fresh flat bread, pita chips or even on top of a piece of steak. Once made, it should last in the fridge for about ten days as long as it’s covered tightly. Be warned, it will cause your breath to be super rancid so don’t plan anything romantic for the evening.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1, 16-oz jar of full-fat sour cream

• 1/4 cup fried shallots

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon MSG

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 4 scallions

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• Potato chips for serving

• Kosher salt to taste

Makes Approximately 1 Hefty Pint

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes with a dash of salt.

2. At the end, add the brown sugar to jack up the caramelization. Once combined and brown around the edges, set aside to cool.

3. Mix the sour cream, mayo, scallions, fried shallots, onion powder, granulated sugar, Worcestershire sauce and MSG in a bowl. Taste often and adjust seasoning to preference.

4. Top with leftover scallions and serve with chips.