There's a little bar and grill downtown in our small suburb that we probably eat at just a little too frequently. Good food, good service, and a positive atmosphere, not to mention an ultra convenient location, keep us coming back often.
We often indulge in an appetizer with our meals there , and a family fave is the loaded potato chips -- fresh, hot potato chips, smothered in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce, topped with diced tomato, crumbled bacon, and chopped green onions. Seriously, does it get much better?
Recreating my favorite restaurant foods at home is a little hobby of mine, so I figured I'd give these loaded potato chips for a game day snack. While I chose to go the completely homemade route, making my own potato chips and cheddar cheese sauce, you could easily just use store bought chips and melted Velveeta cheese -- promise I won't judge!
But if you do want give the homemade version a try, I'll share my favorite cheddar cheese sauce with you. It only takes about five minutes to make, and when you use a nice, sharp cheddar cheese (I chose Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar from Walmart), the flavor is delicious.
One thing I would note is that homemade cheese sauces are best eaten immediately, since they will firm back up as they cool. So if you're planning to serve this at a party where your guests may pick at it, rather than devour it immediately like my family, I'd probably recommend you use Velveeta instead.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- potato chips
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 2 slices bacon, crumbled
- green onions, chopped
Instructions:
- Melt the butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and keep whisking until the mixture thickens up. Whisk in the milk until there are no lumps, and continue to mix until it thickens up again.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the cheddar cheese until melted.
- Serve immediately.
- Arrange chips on a plate. Drizzle cheese sauce over them, and top with diced tomato, crumbled bacon, and chopped green onions.
When I choose a recipe that requires a number of steps like this for a get together, I'll typically choose something simpler to balance it out for the main course. I could have just ordered delivery pizza, but instead I picked up a couple of these Marketside take & bake pizzas at Walmart while I was picking up the ingredients for the loaded chips.
If you have yet to try these, I highly recommend them! Priced very reasonably ($6.98 for the large cheese and $7.98 for the large pepperoni), they bake up quickly to satisfy any appetite. I popped them in the oven while we were enjoying our appetizer, and they were ready by the time we finished.
Here are a few more game day faves you may want to try:
- 7-Layer Mexican Dip
- Baked Blue Cheese Dip
- Greek Veggie Crescent Appetizer Pizza
- Slow Cooker Chex Mix
- Walking Taco Recipe
To finish it all off, treat your guests to some of these easy Indoor S'Mores -- such a yummy treat!
As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I've received compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tara Kuczykowski is a married mom of three boys and two girls, ages 4 to 10 years, living in Columbus, OH.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
This sounds fantastic! Love the idea of making this with homemade potato chips!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction recently posted… Maple Glazed Cinnamon French Toast Donuts
Homemade potato chips could only be surpassed by serving with cheese and bacon! Love it!
Erin @ The Hopeless Housewife recently posted… Game Day Food!
I must make these for the boys a.s.a.p. they will love them!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen recently posted… Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Smoked Sausage with Peppers & Onions
store bought maybe too thin???
store bought chips maybe to thin with all those goodies???
\/
I think Kettle Chips would work perfectly — they’re pretty sturdy.
Oh my goodness, these would get me in trouble, for sure!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective recently posted… Duck Confit Salad
These are definitely trouble, which can only mean I need to make them immediately ; )
Paula – bell’alimento recently posted… Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Awesome plate of chips – love this!!
Brenda @ a farmgirl’s dabbles recently posted… Bagna Cauda with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
These look amazing too, got to try them, especially since I just cleaned my deep fryer and it has new oil!
Angie recently posted… Maple Roasted Pork Loin
These could only be improved with olives and sour cream. YUM!!!