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:

  1. Coat the inside of a 1-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring the Cheddar dip to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  2. 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.