Neiman Marcus-Inspired Dip
An incredibly easy dip inspired by a similar one served at the Neiman Marcus restaurant; it is guaranteed to be a party favorite!
In my world, there are regular food groups (fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, fat) and then food groups of my favorite foods. I’m talking about things like: desserts, burgers/fries, cheesy carbs, classic comfort foods, and dips. When it comes to the food that I love to eat, those four categories sum it pretty darn well.
So it should come as no surprise that when I saw an incredibly easy dip recipe with some of my favorite ingredients (bacon! cheese!) that I rushed right into the kitchen to make it. Icing on the cake was that the recipe recommended serving it with Fritos and Ritz crackers. I’ll take any excuse to bust open a package of either one of those!
One of my favorite things about Cook’s Country magazine is that it features regional recipes or copycat recipes for well-known popular foods (it’s the magazine that brought us the spicy cheese bread recipe from a Wisconsin bakery that my husband and I devoured within 24 hours). This particular dip is actually a recreation of a dip served at Neiman Marcus restaurants, which piqued my interest.
I’ve only ever shopped at a Neiman Marcus once while on a work trip to Boston over 10 years ago, and I never ate at their restaurant or cafe, but I absolutely adore the recipe for Neiman Marcus cookies (whether or not the urban myth is true or not!), so I whipped this dip recipe up faster than you can say BACON!
The Neiman Marcus dip is incredibly close to the loaded baked potato dip that I love so much, but with some key differences… while both dips contain bacon, cheddar cheese, and scallions, this dip uses mayonnaise to bind it all while the loaded baked potato dip uses sour cream. In addition, this Neiman Marcus dip also includes toasted slivered almonds (we can have almonds in our house now! small food allergy milestones!) and a little hot sauce; I love the crunch from the almonds and the kick from the hot sauce, they’re excellent additions.
Then we have the recommended dipping vessels – Ritz crackers, Fritos and sliced apples. I skipped the apples because they brown quickly and I hate dousing otherwise delicious fruit in lemon juice just to keep them from browning. So that leaves us with Fritos and Ritz, which are the absolute perfect salty accompaniment to this savory dip. (Although, don’t be like me and use the unopened bag of regular Fritos in the pantry; scoops would be much easier and less messy!)
Add this super easy dip to your recipe box and whip it up when you need a quick snack or appetizer!
One year ago: Slow Cooker Beef and Onion Ragu
Two years ago: DIY: Homemade Mayonnaise
Five years ago: Salted Espresso Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Six years ago: White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip
Neiman Marcus-Inspired Dip
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped coarsely
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- 1 cup (224 g) mayonnaise
- ½ cup (54 g) slivered almonds, toasted
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours prior to serving, or up to 2 days.
- Serve with Ritz crackers, Fritos corn chips, or apple slices.
Notes
- Frank's RedHot is the hot sauce recommended for this recipe.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Made this for book club and everyone LOVED it. It is VERY rich. I used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 sour cream rather than all mayo and used the lower fat versions of both. Great make ahead dish.
Absolutely delicious.
This might seem like a silly question but I always cut bacon in half before I cook it and I’m unsure if that’s a practice for everyone so I wonder, when you say 8 pieces do you mean 8 entire pieces, fresh out of the package and uncut? Or is it 8 pieces after the bacon has been cut down the center?
Hi Katie, 8 pieces uncut, fresh out the package.
I finally got around to making this and it was just plain delicious. I left out the almonds and used a mix of mayo and sour cream since I found it was too dry with the recommend amount of mayonnaise. So very Midwestern and so very good. I made the seasoned Ritz crackers from Half Baked Harvest to serve this with. It was a perfect combination.
This recipe is so good I can’t even! Really, it’s amazing, so delicious! I love it!
Another option to keep the apples from browning that comes from Cook’s Illustrated is to mix 2 tablespoons of honey with 1 cup of water. Toss your apple slices in for about 30 seconds. They’ll stay beautiful for at least 8 hours. I find the honey doesn’t leave as pronounced a flavor as the lemon. I’m going to try the 7-Up idea as well, though I don’t keep that in the house all the time.
I’m going to try this dip ASAP. Thanks!
Looks like something I just might give 100% try as we both love crackers and always looking for ‘new’ toppings. Unfortunately I’m going to leave out the almonds – just can take nuts in anything. Perhaps I might try some red onion in the nuts place – will just play around with the recipe – Thanks for posting.
I so wish I was snacking on this dip right now!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
This dip is fantastic. It is as good as the loaded baked potato dip. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I would try it out.
A good way to keep apples from browning is to dip them in a little clear, lemon-lime soda (like sprite). It doesn’t really alter the taste like lemon juice does and keeps the apple slices from browning for a few days in the fridge!
This is brilliant, thank you!
This does look delicious. Â I would never have thought to use apples as a dipper with this, but the more I think about it, the better it sounds, although I’d still test that idea with a bit a hesitancy. Â I like the Ritz and Frito way.
Question though: Â from the pictures I would have said that this recipe uses green onions, but the written recipe says scallions. Â Is there a difference, and what is the difference if so? Â I’ve only ever seen scallions as a smaller, flatter oval-ish type of onion with a hint of purple color, always missing their green tops. Â But green onions are always bunched together with their green tops attached which are long and small bulbs at the ends. Â
Thanks for clearing this up for me.
Hi Michelle, I’ve always been under the impression that green onions and scallions are the same thing, just different nomenclature. You’re looking for what you’ve described as green onions. Hope that helps!
Could it be that you are thinking of shallots?? They are small, look like a mini onion and are purple once you peel the brownish skin off?
Definitely making this over the weekend – I can eat with my veggies and hubby can have his Fritos. Question – do you have a favorite bacon? There are so many choices now and I have not been satisfied with any lately. Nothing seems to taste like what I remember as a kid. What’s your go to?
Hi Linda! I buy Applegate Sunday Bacon – it’s uncured so there are no nitrates or preservatives in it. I’ve been buying it for a few years now and we love it!
Thank you – I’ll give Applegate Sunday Bacon a try!
Dip is definitely a food group! Â I like that this recipe uses things I usually already have in the house. Â Thanks for sharing another great recipe Michelle.
Sounds delicious!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com