Hot Gruyere & Bacon Dip

Last night, I had a few friends over for my annual pumpkin carve-off! Even though everyone came over after dinner, of course I had to make a snack or two. This recipe is inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest; I've been dying to try it so this was the perfect excuse.

The original recipe can be found here, but I altered it just slightly.  I skipped the the chives, largely because I forgot them at the store, added a bit of dijon mustard, and also sautéed the onions in the bacon fat, which gave the dip a really delicious, warm, bacon-y flavor. Everyone loved the dip and I even had to pull out some crackers when the bread ran out so we could gobble up every last bit!



Ingredients:
* 4 pieces of bacon
* 1 1/4 c. grated gruyere cheese, divided
* 1 white onion, finely diced
* 1/2 c. mayonnaise
* 1/2 c. sour cream
* 1 tsp. dijon mustard
* Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400.  Heat a sauté pan to medium high heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp; reduce the heat if it starts to smell burnt.  Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside.  Reduce the heat to medium low and drain all but a teaspoon or so of the bacon fat off (I just absorbed most of it with paper towels, but be careful- the bacon fat will be scorching hot!).  Add the onions and sauté until they are soft, about 8 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine 1 c. of the grated gruyere, mayonnaise, sour cream, and dijon mustard in a bowl.  Crumble in the bacon. When onions are done, let cool slightly, then add to the cheese mixture. Stir well to combine.  Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray and add the dip.  Top the dip with the remaining gruyere cheese.  Bake until bubbly and hot, about 20 minutes.  Serve with baguette slices or crackers.  Enjoy!