Yummy Spicy Cheese Dip

Submitted by OzarkChris

"This is a recipe that I absolutely love to make and people just can't seem to get enough of. I've modified this so many times over the last 25-30 years to keep up with my enjoyment of spicy foods. Be warned that this current version - if ingredients are followed exactly - is quite spicy. Modify for your spicyness level. Keep warm in a crackpot or other warming dish. Serve with tortilla chips (I like the round ones because they don't seem to break as easily). Leftovers (if you have any) warm up nicely in the microwave and make an excellent midnight snack with tortilla chips!"

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 teaspoon dry basil
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon montreal seasoning for beef (or more to taste)
• 1 (10 ounce) can rotel, with habenero
• 2 (4 ounce) cans hatch diced green chilies
• 10 serrano peppers, stems removed and finely Diced with seeds
• 4 jalapeno peppers, stems removed and finely Diced with seeds
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (2 lb) package velveta type processed cheese, I use store brand
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt (optional to taste)
• 1 (2 lb) package round corn tortilla chips

directions

1. Open cans of peppers and rotel and pour in a strainer, let drain until called for - swishing around every once in awhile to promote drainage.
2. In a medium sized (4-6 qt) Dutch oven or casserole stove top pan (non-stick makes cleanup easier), brown the ground beef with the basil, oregano and Montreal seasoning on medium heat. I use a flat wooden scraper type thingy to stir so I can scrape the pan bottom- especially useful when cheese is added.
3. When browned, drain (or not depending on fat content - your choice) and return to pan. Add garlic and fresh (diced) hot peppers (Jalapeño and Serrano) and stir for 2-3 minutes. In a few moments you should have a very spicy smell in the kitchen - be careful breathing in the fumes if you aren't used to them, it can burn a bit.
4. Turn heat to medium low. Add cream cheese and processed cheese (Velveeta type) in small chunks to promote melting stirring almost constantly to avoid sticking - depending on your stove, you may have to turn down to low heat.
5. When cheeses are mostly melted, Add canned chilies and rotel and continue to stir until cheese is completely melted. Taste and add salt if necessary - some store brands of cheese have more salt than others.
6. If this needs to be held for a party etc, put in a warmer or crockpot on lowest setting to keep warm - in a low/hi crockpot check/stir routinely that sauce isn't burning/sticking to crockpot. My crockpot has a keep warm setting that works great. Serve with round tortilla chips - the round ones seem to not break as easy with this thick dip.
7. For individual service (midnight snack), scoop into a small bowl, grab bag of chips and enjoy.
8. To rewarm leftovers, I put a small bowl of dip (from fridge) in microwave and use the re-warm function when finished, stir and if necessary nuke a bit longer until warmed up.
9. Every once in awhile (I really don't know why), the dip is way to thick - maybe the moisture in the fresh peppers. If this looks more like day old oatmeal than a cheese dip add a small amount of regular milk. Maybe an 1/8 cup at a time. You want this to be thick so it will stay on the chip and off of your floor during a party.
10. Enjoy!