An easy, elegant, make-ahead appetizer for all your holiday gatherings and game day get-togethers. Serve your smoked salmon cheese ball with crunchy bagel chips.
Place the goat cheese and cream cheese in a mini prep food processor and pulse until combined and very smooth and creamy.
Add the lemon zest, horseradish and worcestershire sauce and pulse several times until well incorporated.
Add about half of the smoked salmon to the cheese mixture and pulse until it's smooth and creamy and no lumps of salmon appear.
Transfer the salmon mixture to a small bowl. Mince the chives and add to the salmon. Mince the remaining salmon and add to the cheese mixture. Stir the salmon and chives into the cheese mixture until it's evenly incorporated.
Line a small 1 cup bowl (that has the basic shape that you'd like your cheese ball to be) with plastic wrap, leaving the ends hanging over the bowl. Transfer the cheese mixture to the bowl and gently wrap the ends of the plastic wrap over the cheese ball. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24.
MAKE THE EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING
In a small bowl, combine the sesame seeds, minced onion, garlic, black sesame seeds and poppy seeds until evenly mixed.
COAT THE CHEESE BALL:
Spread the seasoning in a small shallow bowl or plate. Pick up the chilled cheese ball in plastic wrap and carefully remove the plastic from the bottom of the ball. Rest the cheese ball in the bagel seasoning and carefully turn it over until it's well coated. Transfer the cheese ball to a serving platter and sprinkle with extra chopped chives.
Serve with bagel chips and crudite. This is a versatile cheese ball that goes equally well with beer or wine and is always a crowd pleaser.