Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

For a get together with a neighbor to discuss some shared property plans, they provided the wine and fruit plate along with cheddar, and I pondered what to bring with my wine. I wanted something that was a snack, but was above and beyond just regular chips and dip, or throwing more sliced cheese on a platter.

A recipe that I recall several of the reps from a Food Should Taste Good event mentioned came to mind. They had raved about one of the recipes on the website, a Caramelized Shallot Jam with Goat Cheese for being super easy and tasty. I had onions instead of shallots in my pantry, but otherwise I had the ingredients on hand and decided to give a try.

I paired this with sweet potato tortilla chips. Food Should Taste Good chips are gluten free, vegan, non GMO, low sodium and ingredients that when I read the list, I understand and recognize: Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Dried Sweet Potatoes, Cane Sugar, Sweet Potatoes, Sea Salt. No weird science names.

The sweet potato chips were one of the discoveries I made when I attended a Food Should Taste Good promotional event a couple months back – I have always stood by the multigrain chips. That event, plus the fact that while I was in Denver, they had these sweet potato chips at Denver Airport’s beer flight event, put them onto my radar for a great chip that embodies fall without having to go to pumpkin spices and apple cinnamon donuts and ciders.

This Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips is great for a small get together for 6-10. You will want to start making the jam at least an hour ahead of time so it has time to cool off from hot to warm before you serve it. At the same time, make sure you have your goat cheese out from the fridge so it can soften and warm to room temperature to be spreadable.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of diced onions (or 4 large shallots, thinly sliced to equal about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz plain goat cheese
• 1 bag of Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips (or other chips or bread or vehicle of your choosing for the onion jam and goat cheese)

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil for a few minutes. Now add the 1 cup of diced onions and saute for a minute or until the onions start turning translucent.
2. Add the 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Stir constantly to combine the two for the next 5 minutes or so. Turn down the heat to medium and let cook, stirring once in while, so that it all reduces into a consistency like jam.
3. Then carefully pour in the 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (it may steam up) and generous pinch of salt to your caramelized onion and brown sugar jam. Stir well, let reduce for another couple minutes, and then remove from heat.
   
4. Place the Caramelized Onion Jam in a small serving dish and let it cool from hot to warm. Now place it on a serving platter or alongside a small serving dish of your softened goat cheese (mash it down if it comes in a tube or other odd shape to encourage spooning and spreading it).
5. Serve with the Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips and it’s all fancy when you know this was all silly easy.

Even if you don’t make this recipe for Caramelized Onion Jam with Goat Cheese (I could also see the combo working in a sandwich), you should definitely check out these delicious Sweet Potato Chips!