Game Day Board with Cheese Cubes, Sausage and Hot Honey

The Game Day Board is a cheese board built to be eaten with one hand, while the other holds a drink. It serves 8 and is designed for a room where nobody is looking at the table, because the screen has everyone's attention. So the cheddar and pepper jack are cut into cubes, the smoked gouda is shingled into planks, the sausages are fanned, and everything sits within reach. There are no knives, no cracking and nothing that needs a plate. The result is a board that looks full from across the room and keeps a crowd fed through a long game.

Why this works

• Pieces cut to 3/4 in (2 cm) can be picked up with one hand, and no knife means no traffic jam.
• Sharp cheddar, spicy pepper jack and smoked gouda cover mild, hot and smoky.
• Summer sausage and pepperoni run in arcs between the cheese piles, so the piles stay distinct.
• Hot honey in a corner works over cheese, meat and pretzels alike.
• Carrot sticks, celery and radishes keep the board from feeling heavy.

What to know about the ingredients

Buy cheese in blocks, not pre-shredded, so you can cube it. Sharp cheddar and pepper jack are the bulk of the board, at 12 oz and 10 oz. Smoked gouda, 8 oz, is sliced into planks and shingled along one edge. Choose one that is already smoky, so the board has a flavor that stands apart.

Summer sausage is sliced, and pepperoni is fanned, so pick sliced pepperoni with some size to it. Hot honey is easy to find in jars, and 1/4 cup is enough for a bowl. Dried figs add chew and sweetness, and spiced nuts and pretzel crisps give you two kinds of crunch. For the vegetables, wash and cut the carrots and celery into sticks and halve the radishes.

If your store does not carry spiced nuts, plain roasted nuts tossed with a little chili powder will do. Set out a few small napkins and a bowl for toothpicks, so guests can graze without hovering. Choose pretzel crisps over thin crackers, because they hold up to a heavy cube of cheese.

How to build it

1. Cut the cheddar and pepper jack into 3/4 in (2 cm) pieces and pile them in two mounds. No knives needed.
2. Slice the smoked gouda into planks and shingle them along one long edge of the board.
3. Fan the summer sausage and pepperoni into overlapping arcs between the cheese piles.
4. Set the hot honey in a bowl in a corner within reach of both ends of the board.
5. Fill the rest with pretzel crisps, spiced nuts, figs and crisp vegetables until the board looks full from across the room.

Keep the vegetables near the center so they are easy to reach. Anything people grab by feel should be in the middle, not on the edges.

How to store, freeze and make ahead

Keep the cold items in the fridge until kickoff and put leftovers back within two hours. You can cube the cheese and slice the meats ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator, and cut the vegetables and keep them cold. Build the board shortly before kickoff, so the cheese is not left out for long. For a long game, hold some back in the refrigerator and refill the board instead of putting everything out at once. Wrap leftovers, put them in the refrigerator and keep the pretzel crisps in a closed container so they stay crisp.

What to serve with it

A cold beer, a hard cider or a crisp lager suits cheese and cured meat, and sparkling water or iced tea works for everyone else. Add something hot if the game runs long, such as chili or a pot of soup, and keep napkins within reach. The board is meant to be the snack, so you do not need a lot of other dishes.

Variations

• No meat: double the pretzel crisps and add 250 g / 9 oz buffalo cauliflower bites.
• Less heat: replace the hot honey with plain honey and use a mild cheese in place of pepper jack.
• More vegetables: add cucumber sticks or cherry tomatoes.
• More crunch: add popcorn or plain crackers to fill any gaps.

For a smaller or cheaper night, the Budget Board Under $25 and the Ten Minute Emergency Board use the same ideas, and the Girls Night Board is a lighter option. All of them are in Baked Brie and Cheese Boards.