Cabbagetown treat would be super for the big game

Dish of the Week: Cranes Southern Fun Dip at Home Grown
At Home Grown, Cranes Southern Fun Dip combines pimento cheese, chorizo and grits into a party-worthy appetizer.

Credit: Henri Hollis

Credit: Henri Hollis

At Home Grown, Cranes Southern Fun Dip combines pimento cheese, chorizo and grits into a party-worthy appetizer.

With the Super Bowl matchup set, it’s a good time to think about the most important question concerning the big game: What are you going to eat between the commercial breaks? If you’re looking for inspiration, check out one of Atlanta’s best-loved and most welcoming restaurants: Home Grown on Memorial Drive. Its lunch menu is chock-full of crowd-pleasers, but the Cranes Southern Fun Dip stands out, thanks to its over-the-top ingredients.

Although Home Grown rightfully is known as a breakfast place, the lunch menu is no slouch. It's full of Southern classics, but the fun dip is one dish that doesn't look so familiar. It's a combination of pimento cheese, a generous serving of ground chorizo and cheese grits, all mixed together and served with wavy-cut potato chips. It sounds overwhelming, but the grits add a lightness to the dip that makes it incredibly addictive.

Home Grown’s dip is reminiscent of the classic Rotel, sausage and Velveeta dip you’ll often see in an electric cooker at tailgates, but somehow it manages to be even more Southern. The tang of the pimento cheese offsets the rich, spicy chorizo, while the grits keep all that flavor and fat from becoming overbearing. It’s great with the potato chips, but it might be even better if served with heavy-duty tortilla chips or corn chips. When a dip is this much of a party at lunchtime on a regular weekday, just think what a hit it will be on Super Bowl Sunday.

Home Grown. 968 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta. 404-222-0455, homegrownga.com.

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