I Make My Mom’s 3-Ingredient Dip for Every Holiday Party

My mother has an ancient Tupperware chip and dip plate that makes an appearance at almost every family gathering. It has a lid that firmly stays in place making it the perfect vessel to assemble an appetizer in it at home and transport it to a party.

She acquired it back in the ‘80s at a neighborhood Tupperware party surrounded by friends and the libation of the moment, white zinfandel. It’s a very unattractive shade of beige but is still one of the best portable appetizer platters I’ve ever come across. There is a generous center well for your dip of choice, with well-defined outer sections where you can neatly store vegetables, crackers, or sliced bread for dipping. 

While the platter may seem trivial and decidedly uncool, it’s at the forefront of almost all of my childhood holiday memories. Without fail my mom would fill it with classic Lipton’s French Onion Dip and a rainbow of crudités to keep hangry kids at bay until it was time for the main event. 

Now as a mother myself, I’ve chosen to add my own spin to my mother’s classic: swapping the onion soup mix for fresh melted leeks. 

The recipe couldn’t be more simple: You cook leeks in butter until they are slightly caramelized and almost falling apart. Then you mix them with one pint of full fat sour cream and serve the deeply savory dip with crunchy crudités and potato chips. I may not own her special Tupperware platter (she’s still hanging on to hers and sadly, Tupperware just doesn’t make them like they used to!), but maybe if I’m lucky one day she’ll give me hers for Christmas! A daughter can always dream.

A tip on how to make my version of my mom’s onion dip: When cooking the leeks, it’s key to do so low and slow. The process will take a while, but your patience will be rewarded. Depending on the freshness and water content of your leeks, you may need to add a little water to the pan as the leeks cook just to prevent them from sticking to the pan. This will also help you to scrape up any fond (aka the tasty bits!) that have formed on the bottom of the pan. If you are feeling fancy and have wine on hand, you can use that instead. 

Melted Leek Dip

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large leeks, white sections only, thoroughly cleaned, halved, and thinly sliced into half-moons
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint full-fat sour cream
• Crudités, crackers, chips, or toasted bread (for serving)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add butter and melt over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the leeks are slightly caramelized and very tender, about 25 minutes. 
2. As the leeks cook, add water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool completely. 
3. When ready to serve, place sour cream in a medium bowl and add cooled leeks. Stir until well combined. Serve immediately, or chill for up to 24 hours before serving. 
4. Serve dip with crudités, crackers, chips, or toasted bread. 

Variations and Tips

You can bump up the flavor of this dip by adding 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the sour cream mixture, if desired. Also, if I have fresh chives on hand, adding about 2 tablespoons of minced chives on top of the finished dip adds a nice pop of color and flavor. 

When preparing the leeks, I like to halve them and rinse them in cool water. Once sliced, I like to soak them in cool water again and agitate it with my hands to just ensure all of the dirt and sand is loosened from the leeks.