When I lived in Houston about 10 years ago – my first time living in the Southwest – I was surprised by how pervasive Tex – Mex cuisine was from the grocery store to the fast food restaurant or from the fine dining restaurant to the vending machines. It took me a while to understand and appreciate just how special and tasty Mexican-inspired foods can be. Part of the reason I didn’t take right away is because I’m not someone who loves spicy, spicy foods. I like bold flavors but only with mild heat. One of my favorite dishes to make – and with which I could control how much heat to add – is this Texas-inspired queso sausage dip.
Many queso dip recipes will add green chiles or other spicy chili peppers. Mine is perfect (for me) without that. And truth be told, you could switch out almost any of the ingredients in this dish with what you have on hand. Don’t have white American cheese, use Velveeta. Don’t have Mozzarella cheese, how about a Monterey Jack. When these ingredients are hot and melted together, it’s the flavor of the combination that sings rather than any single ingredient.
And nothing is more savory than warm queso sausage dip on top of a restaurant-style tortilla chip. Yum! What’s your favorite “dipper” when you make queso dip?
1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on LOW heat for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to combine. When mixture is completely melted and hot, it is ready to serve.
You might ask, “Why is there a cover of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine with the pop culture heroes from Duck Dynasty in this post?” Well, the latest issue of Louisiana Cookin’ features an exclusive Duck Dynasty down-home holiday menu with some of the favorite dishes of the Duck Dynasty family. And I have to admit I’m curious to try their recipes for Root Beer Red-Eye Gravy and a spicy Skillet Cornbread with bacon….but that’s not why I included the cover.
Sweet Potato-Bacon Biscuits Win Grand Prize
The reason I included the cover is that the very next featured spread in the November/December issue of Louisiana Cookin’ announces the winners of the 2013 Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest, sponsored by the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. I am excited to finally be able to share the (very surprising) news that my recipe for Sweet Potato-Bacon Biscuits won the grand prize! I was flabbergasted when I got the call, and humbly honored to receive this recognition. I had hoped that maybe the recipe could win ‘best in category’ for a side dish. I couldn’t even dream that it would be deemed good enough to win the grand prize.
Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, cream of tartar and cayenne pepper. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in Cheddar cheese and bacon. Make a well in the center of flour mixture.
In small bowl, whisk together milk and sweet potato. Add sweet potato mixture to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until combined. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead gently 12 times. Roll dough to a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 8 rectangular pieces.
On the prepared baking sheet, place biscuits 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
This recipe won grand prize in the 2013 Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission's Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest and appeared in the November/December 2013 issue of Louisiana Cookin' magazine.