Description
A healthy Halloween charcuterie board with carrot witch fingers, cookie-cutter cheese ghosts and bats, and roasted sweet potato pumpkins, filled out with cured meats, olives, almonds, and pickles.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Halloween elements:
- 1 bag carrots (about 1 lb)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 to 1 lb white cheese, such as mozzarella, thick-cut sliced
- 1/2 to 1 lb yellow cheese, such as Gouda, cheddar, or Colby, thick-cut sliced
- 2 large yams or sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp cream cheese
For filling out the board:
- 1 lb prosciutto
- 1 lb salami, thinly sliced
- 1 lb assorted olives
- 4 to 6 oz Marcona almonds
- 8 oz pickled green beans
- Popcorn or corn nuts
Instructions
For the carrot “fingers”:
- Peel the carrots and cut each about 3 inches from the tip.
- Carve a small shelf on each carrot tip to make a secure spot for the red pepper fingernail.
- Slice the red bell pepper into small pieces sized to fit the carrot tips. Use a dab of cream cheese to secure each “nail” in place.
- For the cheese ghosts and bats and sweet potato pumpkins:
- Use Halloween cookie cutters to cut ghosts from the white cheese and bats, pumpkins, moons, and leaves from the yellow cheese.
- Slice the yams into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and press the pumpkin cookie cutter into each to imprint or cut out the design.
- Optional: Roast the sweet potato pumpkins on a parchment-lined sheet at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.
To assemble:
- Arrange the cheeses and meats on a large board, then fill in with olives, almonds, pickled green beans, popcorn or corn nuts, and the sweet potato pumpkins. Add the carrot fingers last.
Notes
Dairy-free: Use firm dairy-free cheese blocks for cut-outs; use hummus instead of cream cheese to attach the nails.
Nut-free: Omit Marcona almonds; add roasted pumpkin seeds or extra popcorn. Check cured-meat labels for cross-contact.
Editor’s note: The original recipe does not specify cooking the sweet potatoes; the optional roasting step is a TABLE suggestion.
Make ahead: Cut vegetables and cheese up to 8 hours ahead; cover tightly and refrigerate.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No-Cook (with optional roasting)
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/16 of board
- Calories: 480