Garlicky Cream Cheese Dip

This garlicky cream cheese dip has become a reader favorite, and for good reason. It’s the kind of appetizer you can throw together in five minutes using ingredients you’ll likely have on hand (fresh chives may be the exception, but you can substitute any other fresh herb, as well as dried chives or crushed dried thyme). You can tailor the amount of garlic to your taste, and doctor the recipe with other ingredients: minced chipotle chilies, sun-dried tomatoes, or preserved lemon; honey; maple syrup; smoked salmon. You can also lighten its richness by using reduced-fat cream cheese and skim milk in place of the cream cheese and half-and-half, and serve with raw vegetables rather than crackers.

A note on prepping the garlic: While garlic presses can be convenient tools, we’ve always found the cleanup to be more trouble than it’s worth. Our favorite technique is to carefully press the clove under the side of a chef’s knife (keeping the blade angled down against your cutting board for safety). A good whack with the heel of your palm smashes the clove, and then you can use the knife to mince it more finely.

If you like a milder garlic flavor, mix the garlic with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice before you add it to the dip.