Super Snacks: Baked Garlic & Swiss Cheese Dip

Ugh…. no Seahawks, no Saints, no Chargers, no Cowboys, no Texans… remind me again WHY I want to watch the Superbowl this year?!

Oh yeah, duh–the day-long bounty of indulgent dips, deep-fried apps, and beer. That’s right.

I love football and I love TV, and obviously I love cooking, eating, and drinking, so it should come as no surprise that Superbowl is one of my favorite days of the year. For me, it’s not a true celebration unless there are copious amounts of chips and dip involved. There is no other day in the year when dip gets the respect and attention it deserves. So when my friends at Kashi sent me some of their newest products and asked if I could dream up a delicious Superbowl recipe incorporating their tasty new garlic pita chips, of course I was more than eager to comply.

What goes better with garlic than more garlic? I was inspired by one of the best soups in Seattle, the amazing, rich garlic swiss soup at Hopvine, which was my fall and winter staple when I lived there. This is kind of a fondue version of that idea–a thicker, cheesier, more amped-up version that is straight-up addictive. I used elephant garlic because it adds a sweeter, mellower taste than regular garlic and mushes up nicely, but if you can’t find it in your area, no sweat. Just roast 3 large cloves of normal garlic and you’ll be fine.

Baked Garlic & Swiss Cheese Dip

2c freshly shredded, good-quality swiss cheese
1 8oz package cream cheese, room temp
1/2c mayonnaise
2 heads elephant garlic, roasted*
2tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp nutmeg
salt & pepper
3/4c freshly shredded, good-quality parmesan cheese
1/2 Kashi Garlic Pesto Pita Chips, crushed into crumbles

Alright, guys. The dip is delicious, but the recipe is easy.

Get out a big bowl and cream the cream cheese and mayo together. (It wouldn’t be a Superbowl dip if it wasn’t cream cheese + mayo based!) Mash in the elephant garlic (if it’s roasted all the way, it should cream in very easily and softly) and then incorporate the swiss cheese. Stir in the nutmeg, cayenne, and S&P to taste.

Toss the pita crumbles with the shredded parmesan. This will be your dip topping. Mmm!

Scoop all the dip into an oven-safe glass dish and sprinkle your topping mixture evenly over the top. Pop it in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes, then turn on the broiler to high and let the cheese topping brown for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it while it’s under the broiler—don’t let it burn!).

Let the dip cool for about 10 minutes, then dig in with more of the Kashi garlic pita chips or your dipping vehicle of choice. Go team garlic!

*If you’ve never roasted garlic before, it’s really easy. Just chop off the top and bottom of the clove, massage a little bit of olive oil in, wrap it up  in foil, and bake it in the oven at 400° for about 45 minutes. (Might take up to an hour, depending on how big your garlic cloves are.)