Tailgate Party Power Stack (Printable)

Hearty layers of smoked sausage, cheeses, fresh veggies, and crunchy chips for easy grazing at parties.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 12 oz smoked sausage, sliced
02 - 8 oz roasted turkey breast, sliced
03 - 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
04 - 8 oz pepper jack cheese, cubed

→ Carbs & Crackers

05 - 1 large crusty baguette (12 oz), sliced
06 - 2 cups sturdy pretzel chips
07 - 2 cups pita chips

→ Vegetables & Pickles

08 - 1 cup baby carrots
09 - 1 cup celery sticks
10 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes
11 - 1 cup dill pickle spears
12 - 1 cup pickled banana peppers

→ Dips & Spreads

13 - 1 cup ranch dip
14 - 1 cup spicy mustard
15 - 1 cup roasted red pepper hummus

→ Garnishes

16 - ½ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
17 - ½ cup mixed nuts

# Cooking Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Remove and let cool.
02 - On a large, sturdy serving board, arrange pretzel chips, pita chips, and toasted baguette slices evenly to form the base layer.
03 - Alternately layer sliced smoked sausage, turkey breast, sharp cheddar, and pepper jack cheese cubes in visual stacks to facilitate easy serving.
04 - Nestle baby carrots, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, dill pickle spears, and pickled banana peppers around and gently between the protein layers to ensure balanced distribution.
05 - Fill small bowls with ranch dip, spicy mustard, and roasted red pepper hummus, placing them securely among the stacked ingredients.
06 - Sprinkle chopped parsley and mixed nuts over the platter for visual appeal and added texture. Serve immediately and replenish as needed.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's simultaneously impressive and effortless—looks like you spent hours when it's really just smart stacking
  • Everyone finds something they love, from the meat lovers to the vegetable sneakers
  • The layering means it actually gets better as you graze, with flavors mixing as you go back for more
  • It's designed to travel and handle being moved around without falling apart like some delicate appetizer would
02 -
  • Toasting the baguette isn't optional—it's the difference between a sturdy board and a soggy disaster. Room temperature matters because cold bread sweats when dips get involved.
  • Use a board that's legitimately sturdy; flimsy platters tip in crowds, and there's no recovering from that gracefully.
  • Prep your proteins and cheeses ahead, but assemble no more than 30 minutes before serving—the vegetables stay fresher and the whole thing looks more intentional.
  • The pickle spears are what make people say "this one's different." Don't minimize them. They're not decoration.
03 -
  • A generous board feeds more than you'd think because people take smaller portions when there are so many options—they're sampling, not loading a plate
  • If the pickles are too acidic for your crowd, reduce them slightly, but don't eliminate them—they're doing crucial work balancing the richness of the cheese and meat
  • Keep the board somewhere slightly cool if the weather's warm, but not so far away that people forget about it—it should be the social center, not an afterthought
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