Pimento cheese, a much-loved American spread, has been a permanent fixture in my kitchen this month. Whether it’s a quick sandwich filling in times of chaos or an effortless party dip, I am addicted. My favourite way to serve it, though, is as part of a loaded crisp platter. Use salted or pickle crisps, and load them up with spoonfuls of pimento cheese, sliced pickles, herbs and heat. Move over nachos, there’s a new crisp platter in town.
Pimento cheese and pickle loaded crisps
If you can get proper jarred pimentos, then by all means use them, but I find those cheese-stuffed bell peppers from the deli counter easier to find (and they work brilliantly).
Prep 25 min
Serves 8-10
125g mature cheddar, grated
250g cream cheese
100g mayonnaise
120g cheese-stuffed bell peppers, drained and finely chopped
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika, plus extra to serve
Sea salt and black pepper
½ bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
250g ready salted crisps
5 cornichons, finely sliced
1 fresh green chilli, halved lengthways and finely sliced
2 pickled green chillies (optional)
2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped
In a large bowl, mix the grated cheddar, cream cheese, mayonnaise, chopped bell peppers, garlic powder and paprika. Season well, add most of the spring onions and beat well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (You can make the dip well in advance and store it in a covered container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.)
Spread out the crisps on a platter and spoon the pimento dip over the top. Sprinkle over the remaining sliced spring onions, all the sliced cornichons, the sliced green chilli, the whole pickled chillies, if using, and the chopped parsley. Sprinkle with a few pinches of paprika and serve.
