This tangy dip, studded with nuggets of smoked sausage, is terrific as a dip with chunks of bread, tortilla chips, pretzels, or sturdy crackers. The darker the beer you use, the stronger the flavor will be. You can serve it in a bread round or in an ovenproof baking dish. I don’t recommend freezing this, as the amount of beer in the dip doesn’t allow it to totally freeze, and it separates when reheated.
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
- Total: 1 hr
- Active: 35 mins
Ingredients (8)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia
- 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons Dijon or whole-grain mustard
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese
- One 12-ounce bottle dark beer such as Guinness
- 4 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
- 6 drops of Tabasco sauce
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Coat the inside of a 1-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and sauté for 2 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the sausage and cook until it is no longer pink in color and is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any fat from the sausage.
- Add the mustard, cream cheese, and beer, stirring until the cream cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese, a handful at a time, until it is all incorporated. Add the Tabasco sauce, transfer to the baking dish, and let cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Bake It Later:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring the Cheddar dip to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Bake the dip for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbly. Serve warm.
Adapted from You’ve Got It Made, by Diane Phillips. © 2008, used by permission from the Harvard Common Press.