Smoked Salmon Cheeseball

It's the last day of 2013! What are your plans to end this year on a delicious note? For The Baron and I, we're going the comfy route by ringing in the new year having ourselves a Godfather movie marathon over an Italian dinner. I hosted a 'Prime Rib Throwndown' dinner last night with friends {tasty recipes from that to come!} so because we had such a big feast then, we're keeping it much more low key tonight. What will you be feasting on for New Year's Eve? In previously years, I've done some fancier meals and if that's more your style, perhaps this Smoked Salmon Cheeseball will be a good addition to your menu. Savory smoked salmon is flaked and combined with smooth cream cheese, a touch of Worcestershire sauce, some shallots and then formed into a ball before coating it in chopped fresh dill. It's light, deliciously easy to make in advance and will be a nice addition to any appetizer table...

I made this appetizer to take to The Baron's family dinner on Christmas Eve. It was a favorite on the appetizer table and I was asked if when recipe would appear on my site... so here it is! I found the flavors really bloomed if you made this at least 1-2 days ahead. Another idea is to make smaller, individual cheeseballs if you wanted a more formal serving with appetizer plates. If you want to step this up even more, try using some candied salmon bacon, which is both sweet and savory and is commonly found in the Pacific Northwest... it just adds an amazing flavor with the right amount of sweetness!

Smoked Salmon Cheeseball
recipe inspired by Coconut & Lime

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup flaked smoked salmon
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup minced fresh dill

Cooking Directions

1. Place the cream cheese, shallot, salmon and Worcestershire in a bowl and combine.
2. Form mixture into 2 balls and wrap each with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour for flavors to meld.
3. Unwrap and roll cheeseballs in fresh minced dill. Bring to room temperature before serving.