Cheese dip is never a bad idea. And what has come to be generally revered to as “queso” comes in all forms here in the south – all cheese, lots of peppers, ground beef, ground sausage, smoked sausage, spinach, spicy…you name it. It is always the hit at a party. So adapting it for the traditional New Year’s luck food seemed an obvious step. Eating greens on new year’s day brings prosperity in the coming year, and pork is sign of moving forward (because pigs root with their snouts pushing ahead apparently). I’ve adapted my simplest cheese dip format to incorporate the two, and it has always been gobbled up. I find this an especially good dish for people who are maybe not huge fans of collard greens, or balk at eating a whole bowl. You get your prosperity kick, but it’s covered in melty cheese.
The best way to make cheese dip is to coat freshly grated cheese in cornstarch and melt it in evaporated milk. There is no graininess, no oiliness, no splitting and nothing called processed cheese food. The proteins in the evaporated milk help create an emulsion and cornstarch thickens the base. I love to use naturally smoked cheddar cheese for this to give it an extra meaty and rich flavor, and tomatoes with green chilies add a hit of heat. Here in the south, I easily find frozen chopped collard greens, which make quick work of this dip, but you can wilt some chopped fresh collard greens in a steamer if that’s what you can find, just make sure to drain them well. You can use hot or mild sausage (or a combination), add an extra can of drained, diced green chilies, or go to town with some hot sauce. I love this served with big scoop corn chips or tortilla chips, but you could also use toasted baguette slices. I frequently serve this in a chafing dish, but if you need to reheat it, do so on the stove gently, adding a little evaporated milk and stirring well.
Kitchen Favorites
Ingredients
1 pound breakfast sausage
8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 (17 ounce) carton evaporated milk (plus 1 (5-ounce) can for reheating)
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes with green chilies
1 (ounce) bag frozen chopped collard greens, thawed and drained
Directions
- Cook the sausage in a 3-quart Dutch oven, breaking it into very small pieces with a spatula as you go, until very well browned. Drain the sausage in a wire mesh sieve. Grate the cheese into a ziptop bag or bowl and sprinkle over the cornstarch. Toss to coat all the cheese in cornstarch. Pour the evaporated milk into the pot and heat over medium heat until it is warm though and just beginning to bubble. Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth and the mixture begins to thicken. Drain and dsicard the juices from the tomatoes and chiles and add them to the pot, then stir in the sausage.
- Put the thawed collard greens in a tea towel and twist and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Separate the ball a couple of times and wrap and squeeze again. Pick out any large, thick stem pieces, then crumble the collards into the pot and stir to separate and combine.
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips for dipping. If you need to reheat, add some more evaporated milk.
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