White Cheddar Leek Dip

On Friday nights I usually try to make a dinner that is more fun. Those are the nights that we'll have pizza or fondue for dinner, something extra special to break up the routine of the work week and to kick off the weekend. We served this fondue with the Roasted Brussels with Chili Sauce.

Slightly adapted from Simply Scratch.

Ingredients:

-1 leek, trimmed {keep white and light green parts only}

-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

-8 ounces Nuefchatel cheese, softened

-7 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated and divided

-1/4 cup Miracle Whip

-4 tablespoons of your favorite beer

Trim, halve and slice the leek into half moons. Place the leek slices in a bowl of water and swish them around, breaking them up with your fingers. This will help any of the sand that might still be in between the leaves fall to the bottom of the bowl. Remove the pieces of leak, drain and pat them dry.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add the leeks. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and remove the skillet off of the heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the Nuefchatel cheese, Miracle Whip, two-thirds of the grated cheddar and the beer. Add in the cooked leaks and stir until smooth.

Spread the leek dip into a small baking dish (we used an 8x8) and top with the remaining grated cheese.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees or until bubbly and lightly golden.

Dave and I really enjoyed this dip, the leeks had a nice mellow flavor and the cheese combined nicely with the other ingredients. Overall this was a nice easy meal for a Friday night.