Weekend Recipe: Roasted Artichoke Dip
Artichoke dip is a classic appetizer to serve at parties but this recipe from Cook's Illustrated amps it up by roasting the artichokes with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Right off the bat, we knew we’d need to find a replacement for the tinny-tasting canned artichokes that most roasted artichoke dip recipes use. We liked frozen artichokes, which were passable if boiled, but far better if roasted with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Most artichoke dip recipes specify a 1-1 ratio of mayo to cheese; however, we found this made for a dip with a grainy texture. More mayonnaise remedied that, but the resulting batch lacked the creaminess we wanted. Adding sour cream made the dip’s flavor too tart, but a small amount of cream cheese produced a dip every bit as creamy as we wanted.
Roasted Artichoke Dip
Serves 10 to 12
INGREDIENTS
Topping:
2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, quartered
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Dip:
2 (9-ounce) boxes frozen artichokes (do not thaw)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
It’s important that the cream cheese be at room temperature, otherwise it will not mix well. Also, this dip is best served warm, so make sure it comes out of the oven just as your guests are starting to arrive. Serve with crackers or small toasted baguette slices.
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 6 pulses. Toss the bread crumbs with the Parmesan and butter; set aside.
2. FOR THE DIP: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the artichokes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and spread out over the prepared baking sheet. Roast the artichokes, stirring occasionally, until browned at the edges, about 25 minutes. Let the artichokes cool and then chop coarse.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
4. Stir the mayonnaise, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme, and cayenne into the onion mixture until uniform, smearing any lumps of cream cheese against the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in the chopped artichokes and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top.
5. TO STORE: Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
6. TO SERVE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap the dip and bake, uncovered, until hot throughout and the bread crumbs are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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