Tailgate at Home with a Trio of Delicious Dips

It’s football season again! While tailgating at the stadium can be a great time, catching all the action from the comfier sidelines of home also has its benefits, especially when cheering on your team with Sutter Home wine and a winning spread of snacks to carry you through every quarter.

Check your favorite team’s schedule and invite some friends over for some at-home tailgating. Paired with a lineup of Sutter Home wine, put these delicious, easy-to-make dips on the roster and your guests are sure to savor every touchdown of bread, chip, or cracker!

QUESO FUNDIDO
Serves 6
Pair with Sutter Home Sangria

INGREDIENTS
4 oz. Mexican chorizo, casing discarded
¾ cup finely chopped white onion
1 cup seeded and finely chopped ripe tomato
2 poblano chilies, roasted, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
½ cup Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc
3 cups (about 9 oz.) grated Mexican melting cheese, such as asadero, Chihuahua, or Manchego (not the hard Spanish version; can also substitute Monterey Jack or Cheddar or both)
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Combine the chorizo and onion in a nonstick pan and cook over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the chorizo into small pieces until nicely browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato, chiles, and oregano, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes longer.
Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch shallow casserole or baking dish and stir in the grated cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese just melts, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately with tortilla chips.

GRILLED SWEET ONION DIP
Serves 6
Pair with Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc

INGREDIENTS
1 Maui or other sweet onion, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
Olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. finely grated fresh lime zest
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS

To make the dip, prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium. Brush the onion slices on both sides with some of the oil. Put the garlic cloves in the middle of a 6-inch square of aluminum foil and drizzle with oil. Bring up the sides of the foil and seal. Place the onion slices and foil packet on the grill rack, cover, and cook, turning the onion slices once, until the slices are nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the slices and the garlic packet to a cutting board. Open the foil and let both onion and garlic cool to room temperature.

Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest, parsley, salt, cayenne, and pepper in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Finely chop the onion and garlic and stir into the sour cream mixture. Taste and add more salt, cayenne, and pepper, if
desired. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. To serve, transfer the dip to a serving bowl and surround with the chips on a plate or tray.

Tip: Serve with taro chips or crunchier, Hawaiian-style potato chips

AVOCADO-TOMATILLO SALSA
Serves 6
Pair with Sutter Home Sangria

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
cup water
cup fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup coarsely chopped white onion
1 tbsp. coarsely chopped serrano chilies
1 small ripe avocado
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt

Tortilla chips for serving

DIRECTIONS
Combine the tomatillos and water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatillos are very tender when pierced with a knife or skewer, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer the tomatillos and liquid to a food processor or blender, add the cilantro, onion, and chiles, and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled.
Just before serving, scoop the avocado flesh into the tomatillo mixture and blend until smooth. Add the lime juice and salt and mix well. Taste and add more lime juice and salt, if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.
Recipes from Burger Parties, the official Sutter Home Build a Better Burger Cookbook, by James McNair and Jeffrey Starr, published by Ten Speed Press.
Which of these three dips is your first-round draft pick for tailgating at home Share your favorite in the comments below.