A cheesy dip that's a perfect pairing with football

In my family, everyone has their signature dish. My Dad-he’s the king of sandwiches. Whether it’s a simple grilled cheese or a huge stuffed Italian sub, the man knows how to make the perfect sandwich. My Mom makes killer one pot wonder dishes like her green bean pork stew or stuffed shells pasta. For me, I’m all about appetizers! So one year I was trying to think of what other dish I could make with all of our Thanksgiving leftovers, something that could keep that Thanksgiving spirit around a little longer, something besides my Dad’s delicious Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches or my Mom’s turkey a la king. I wanted something warm and comforting but that also combined toasted bread. That’s when I started dreaming about a cheesy warm dip chocked full of all the Thanksgiving staples. It was kind of like the best of both worlds-the rich, comforting flavors of my Mom’s dish with my Dad’s perfect bite kind of sandwich ideas. This baked dip recipe features three types of cheeses, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and crispy sage-it's everything you love about Thanksgiving perfect for enjoying with leftover dinner rolls smeared with cranberry sauce while watching football.

A Thanksgiving dip that's a perfect pairing with football

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients

4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded & divided
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded & divided
¾ cup mashed potatoes
1 cup cooked turkey, diced or shredded
½ cup gravy
¾ cup stuffing, prepared
½ cup cranberry sauce
1 French baguette, sliced
Optional: 2 tablespoons butter
Optional: 6-8 fresh sage leaves

Preparation

To make dip: Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Into a pot set over medium heat, mix together the cream cheese, ¼ cup of the pepper jack cheese, ¼ cup of the cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes and turkey until melted. Add gravy and fold in stuffing.
Remove from heat and pour into oven safe dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and top is bubbly. Use a pot a pot holder or oven mitt to remove the dish from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
To make fried sage leaves: In a small pot melt butter on low heat until melted. Raise temperature to medium heat and continue cooking and stirring. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. After five minutes, the butter will start to foam. Keep stirring to prevent butter from sticking to the pan. Once the butter has browned and you can see dark golden flecks in the butter, turn off the heat. It should smell nutty and toasty. Add sage leaves to butter and let cook until crispy. Sprinkle sage on top of dip and serve immediately. Serve with cranberry sauce and toasted baguette slices.