6-Minute Beef Cheeseball

You’ll have to excuse the fact I only have 1 photo for this post.  At some point in the future when I make this again, I’ll snap additional photos.  This time around I just took a quick photo before I served it as an appetizer for a dinner party we were hosting for some of my hubster’s coworkers.

This is one of my favorite cheeseball recipes. I grew up with both my mom & grandmother making this cheeseball—and I have no clue what the original source of this recipe is.  I do know that it is quick & easy, surprisingly flavorful given the limited ingredients, travels well & can be made a day or 2 ahead of when you need it. The flavor is actually better if you do make it a day ahead…  Serve with crackers, & you are done.  I like to form cheese balls in the container I will be serving them out of to make for a prettier presentation.  This recipe is easily doubled & is the perfect solution when you need to take an appetizer to 2 different parties within a short period of time.

6-minute Beef Cheeseball
Prep time: 6 minutes, Serves: Many

Ingredients

• 1 package cream cheese (8 oz), softened
• small bunch of chives, chopped finely (can substitute the green parts of 1-2 green onions, sliced finely)
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce (+1 t. extra if desired)
• 1/2 package Buddig beef deli meat or equivalent store brand (approx 3 oz)
• Approximately 3 oz. dried beef* (found in the deli meat section, or in the canned meat section of the grocery store. This is the salty, dried beef used for chipped beef gravy, or that could survive a nuclear apocalypse. If you can’t find it, or don’t want to use it, use the rest of the package of Buddig beef)

Directions
1. Let cream cheese soften on the counter in its packaging for at least 30 minutes before assembling.  Finely chop the Buddig beef & put in a small bowl.  Finely chop the dried beef & place in a separate bowl.

2. Scrape the cream cheese into a small mixing bowl.  Add the chives, Worcestershire sauce, all of the Buddig beef & half of the dried beef on top of the cream cheese.  Fold ingredients together with a rubber spatula until well mixed.

3. Line the bowl you want to serve the cheese ball out of with a large piece of plastic wrap.  Sprinkle the inside of the plastic wrap-lined bowl with some of the remaining dried beef.  Scrape the cheeseball into the bowl & cover with the remaining dried beef.  Twist the cheeseball up tightly in the plastic wrap, shape it to the desired shape & refrigerate.