Four Easy-to-Build Holiday Charcuterie Boards

We’ve witnessed the rapid evolution of the charcuterie board over the last few years: What was once just a French appetizer consisting solely of cured meats, Americans today have expanded the idea of the charcuterie to include everything from breakfast spreads made with lox, cream cheese, and bagel to boards consisting of butter alone. These takes with salami roses and fresh farmers’ market produce are not only visually stunning, but are easy for hosts to set up, and offer a variety for their guests. Because of this, the charcuterie board is now a staple at almost any gathering.

With so many elements to include on a single board, building one can often lead to serious sticker shock. The trick to making a sophisticated-looking board? Relying on Dietz & Watson’s lineup of premium cheeses and meats. You don’t need to visit a specialty cheese shop or butcher to purchase these products, either. They’re easily accessible at your local grocery store. From a fall harvest spread to the trendy girl dinner, here are four charcuterie boards that are easy to recreate at home, without racking up a hefty price tag.

Girl Dinner

Marinated olives, Dietz & Watson Cherrywood Smoked Ham, radishes, sliced sourdough bread, toasted hazelnuts, Dietz & Watson Irish Cheddar, dates.

Call it a snack plate or call it a meal, the “girl dinner” has taken over TikTok. The concept centers around a no-cooking-required dinner and can be easily translated into a charcuterie board. Here, you have the quintessential elements of a girl dinner: a block of cheese, or in this case Dietz & Watson Irish Cheddar, sourdough bread, and pantry staples like marinated olives and dates. To increase the complexity to the board, include more snacking ingredients like radishes and hazelnuts, then bring in heft with slices of Cherrywood Smoked Ham.

Sichuan-Style Spread

Chili crisp, jammy eggs, Dietz & Watson Genoa Salami, sesame crackers, sliced cucumbers, spicy peanuts.

Drawing inspiration from Sichuan cuisine, this board packs a punch. Dietz & Watson’s Genoa Salami is reminiscent of Chinese-style sausage, and works well against the Sichuan flavors of chili crisp and spicy peanuts. Because there is no dairy on this spread, placing some seven-minute-eggs on the board is an affordable way to incorporate additional protein. The cucumbers also offer a refreshing bite against richer ingredients like the jammy eggs, chili crisp, and peanuts. While Persian cucumbers work best for their crunchiness, you can also substitute English or Kirby too – but, you may want to cut out some of the seeds.

The Fall Harvest

Dietz & Watson Cranberry Goat Cheese, sliced apple, honey, Dietz & Watson Sliced Pepperoni, radicchio leaves, sliced baguette.

Each ingredient on this board hits a different flavor note: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Its variety allows for endless combinations of bites to create, from just six ingredients. Made with warming spices and cranberries, Dietz & Watson’s goat cheese is ideal for this holiday spread. Their pepperoni works well here, too: It’s not only a good value, but stands up to some of the pepperoni you’ll find at a premium butcher. Using store-bought produce, like radicchio and apple, is a simple way to lower the board’s overall price point. As for the starch element, pick up a single baguette and slice it. If you’re searching for a texture akin to crackers, you can put the baguette slices in the oven for a few minutes to dry them out.

Tinned Fish Board

Marinated beans, tinned smoked trout, tinned anchovies, Dietz & Watson Cranberry Honey Mustard, kettle-cooked potato chips, lemon wedges.

Although tinned fish recently went through a rebrand, the core reason why people love their cans still holds true: It’s a convenient and affordable way to build a meal, or in this case, a charcuterie board. To start, select two cans of fish that have different flavor profiles, like smoked trout and anchovies. Then, mellow out the brininess of the fish by incorporating richer ingredients like marinated beans, and sweetness from condiments like Dietz & Watson Cranberry Honey Mustard. For a base, pick a product with some weight, like kettle-cooked potato chips. Finish every bite with a squeeze of lemon for an added punch.