Cheesy bacon and leek dip

My friend Amy makes a mean onion and cheese dip for our Christmas lunch every year. I fell in love with it — who wouldn’t? — and have been making my own version whenever I throw a dinner party. I love adding leek to this recipe as it gives the dip a subtle sweet flavour that balances nicely with the cheeses and bacon (always compulsory).

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon oil

20g butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

100g leek, thinly sliced, white part only

2 bacon slices, cut into strips

200g cream cheese, softened to room temperature

150g mozzarella, shredded

100g parmesan cheese, grated

125g sour cream

60ml thickened cream

salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

tortilla chips, to serve

or crusty bread, to serve

or vegetable sticks, to serve

or crackers, to serve

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the onion and leek, stirring occasionally, and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the onion and leek turn a deep golden brown, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

In the same frying pan, fry the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel then put in the bowl with the leek and onion. Add the cheeses and creams, season with salt and black pepper and mix well.

Pour the mixture into two 375 ml baking or gratin dishes, then bake for 20–30 minutes until the tops are golden brown, caramelised and bubbling. Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper on top. Serve with crackers, crusty bread, tortilla chips or vegetable sticks such as carrot and celery.

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