American Cheez

There is one day a year when you get to eat — are required to eat — the most low-brow of low-brow cuisine. While the Superbowl Sunday menu includes some strong suggestions (Buffalo wings, chips and dip), what it essentially calls for is cheesy, all-American food.

So this year I constructed a baking dish of that all-time winner, layered Mexican dip. Unable to find a recipe that worked for me, I devised my own, and for the first time ever, bought a jar of cheese.

In developing the recipe, the only real questions were what the layers should consist of, and in which order they should lie in the baking dish. Sour cream was out, as I find it obliterates all the other flavors. Refried beans, cheese, guacamole, and salsa were the obvious participants. As for order, I went with specific gravity, figuring the beans were the heaviest, followed by the Cheez Whiz, Cuisinart guacamole, then Safeway's fresh salsa.

It was a great hit. Be sure to serve it with hearty chips (Casa Sanchez thick and crispy worked great) as it's dense.

Layered Mexican Superbowl Dip

Two cans refried beans
I jar Cheez Whiz
About 2 cups guacamole
2 cups salsa

Shmush the beans into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Microwave the Cheez Whiz until it's melted and spread over the beans. Let it cool a little, then spread the guacamole over the Cheez Whiz. Pour salsa on top.