Happy New Year! We’re nearing the end of the marathon season of hosting (Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas) and onto the New Year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I traveled up to New Hampshire to visit my family for Christmas, and while it was unfortunately not a white Christmas, we enjoyed ourselves, snuggled up, went for muddy walks with Charlie in town, and did some successful last-minute holiday shopping.
We even went skiing one day at Waterville Valley since my mom bought a new pair of skis and boots that she was very eager to try out. The salespeople at the store also let me borrow a pair of demo skis for our outing, so it was a win all around, and I was much faster because of it.
My only question is, why has the food at ski resorts not changed one bit? Looking at the nubby chicken tenders, dry burgers, and fries at the “grill” station truly took me back like I was in a bad time warp. I opted for what seemed to be the best option, an egg sandwich served on an everything bagel from the food truck outside.
You’d think someone, somewhere would be serving ski resort food that is delicious and exciting. Maybe they are and I just haven’t found it, but that’s a task I’ll save for 2024. For now, I will be giving my quads a week-long rest. If you’re looking for an easy appetizer or snack to put out on New Year’s because you’re worn out like me, I have you covered with this one.
This goat cheese ball is the perfect appetizer because it can be made well in advance, and uses only a few ingredients that you’re bound to have in your pantry. It can be assembled and left in your fridge for a few days before serving, and you can customize and roll the cheese ball with whatever you have on hand. Use some extra grated cheese, different herbs, dried fruit, or nuts if you’d like. It’s really very versatile!
Until next time,
Kristen
Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Ball
Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
8 oz goat cheese
2 oz cream cheese
¼ cup dill, roughly chopped
¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Crackers and crudite for serving
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the very top of the garlic bulb. Place in a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the garlic with aluminum foil and place in the oven for about an hour until soft. Allow to cool and place the roasted garlic in a bowl; mash with a fork.
Place the herbs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped and remove half of the herbs for serving. To the bowl of a food processor, add the mashed garlic, goat cheese, olive oil and cream cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper. Pulse for 15 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse one more time just until combined.
Place the mixture in the center of a piece of plastic wrap and form into a ball by twisting the plastic wrap and shaping with your hand. Place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Place the chopped herbs on a plate; season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Remove the cheese ball from the fridge and roll in the herb mixture. Place on a serving platter and serve with crackers and vegetables.