Venison & Chile Cheesecake

Today was the annual Appalachian Hunting Club holiday party. I thought this would be a good time to try a new appetizer out. I figured with a bunch of hunters, something of the cheese and meat variety would be a likely hit.

I was right.

I turned to my trusty Colorado Collage cookbook for inspiration, and found it on page 33 in the Chile Cheesecake. I made a few modifications (mostly adding ground venison, substituting the sour cream with guacamole, and omitting the green onions and black olives).

It was delicious. This would be a wonderful dish for your Superbowl party...it's a nice change to 7-layer dip.

Venison & Chile Cheesecake
2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
6 tbs butter, melted
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softended
2 eggs
1 4-oz can diced green chiles
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
8 oz colby-jack cheese, grated
1 lb ground venison, browned
1/2 cup qucamole
2 plum tomatoes, diced

Preheat oven to 325. In a medium bowl, combine tortilla chips and butter. Press into bottom of 9-in. springform pan. Bake 15 minutes, remove from oven, and leave oven on.

In large bowl, blend cream cheese and eggs. Add green chiles, jalapeno, colby-jack, and venison. Pour over crust and bake 30 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook.) Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run knife around inside edge and remove sides from pan. Spread guacamole over top and sprinkle with tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips.