Last Thursday night I sat at one of my favorite restaurants, enjoying the company of my friends, and indulging in chips with a luxurious Mexican cheese dip.

“You know it’s not real,” I said to my friends. “There’s no way to get a REAL nacho cheese dip this creamy and smooth without using a processed cheese like American or Velveeta.”

It got me thinking. Is there really no way to make a creamy smooth Mexican cheese dip using real cheese? Would my melted cheese forever be consigned to the realm of fondue?

So, I experimented. And this is the recipe that resulted. BOY is it fantastic!

The Players

• 1 egg yolk (from pastured hens!)
• 1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
• 1 Tbsp. milk (from grass-fed cows!)
• 1 C. cream
• 1 C. milk
• 8 oz. grated cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. cream cheese (optional)
• 14oz. can diced tomatoes & green chiles, drained
• salt & chipotle chili powder to taste

The How-To

First, create the thickener that will bind the cheese together and keep it from turning into a nasty, oily mess when it melts. Mix egg yolk, arrowroot powder, and 1Tbsp. milk until smooth.

Next, pour cream and milk into a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Gently stir in the thickener and continue stirring until the cream starts to thicken.

Once your sauce begins to thicken, add in the grated cheddar cheese and small spoonfuls of the cream cheese (homemade from grass-fed cream is best). Lower heat to medium low, then continue stirring until the cheese melts and you have a deliciously creamy sauce.

Now for some flavor. Remove the sauce from heat, and stir in the tomatoes & diced green chiles. Then add salt and chipotle chili powder to taste, being sure to stir everything until evenly distributed.

My oh my, is this GOOD! Smooth. Creamy. Rich. This Mexican cheese dip will happily replace the Velveeta, fake-food recipe everybody brings to potlucks. We ate it served over meatballs (from grass-fed beef). My kids enjoyed slopping it up with real sourdough bread and homemade corn tortilla chips. I even dipped sweet potato fries & celery into it and couldn’t stop!

This recipe for Creamy Mexican Cheese Dip is cross-posted at Food Renegade.