It’s as guilty a pleasure as there ever was one.

Spam is both beloved and maligned. But as anyone who grew up like me with the canned lunch meat will attest, there’s just a comforting nostalgia that tugs whenever we spot the familiar blue and yellow can on a supermarket shelf.

It’s mandatory for Hawaiian musubi, handy for noodle stir-fries on the spur of the moment, and a right of passage with eggs of any sort in the morning.

Now, get ready to enjoy it in “Whipped Spam with Toast Points,” in which it takes on an airy, chopped liver or dip-like consistency when whipped with cream cheese and herbs.

This intriguing recipe is from “Padma’s All American: A Cookbook” (Alfred A. Knopf), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Padma Lakshmi, the former host and executive producer of Bravo’s “Top Chef” for 19 years. The cookbook draws from her travels and experiences from her Hulu series, “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.” If you haven’t yet watched the two seasons, I highly recommend them not only for the salivating food that’s highlighted, but for the deep illuminating cultural insights.

Beautifully photographed, the book is filled with more than 100 recipes from immigrant and indigenous communities that have shaped and flavored the melting pot of the United States.

Take a taste of everything from Chinese “Pork Dumplings with Water Chestnuts and Dates,” Cuban “Calabaza con Mojo (Roasted Squash in A Citrus-Garlic Sauce),” and West African “Jollof Rice (Rice with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers) to Padma’s daughter’s “Krishna’s Upma-Style Sriracha Butter Couscous,” Persian “Maheeeheh (Braised Lamb Shanks), and Filipino “Decolonized Halo-Halo (Tropical Fruit and Crushed Ice Sundae).”

Lakshmi writes that the whipped Spam was inspired by the episode in Appalachia, where she and Chef Travis Milton would talk while enjoying the spread on fried saltines.

In this recipe, she serves it on toast points. When I made it, I served it with water crackers. You could even spread it on a Dutch crunch roll, then pile on lettuce and tomatoes for a tasty sandwich. In an Instagram post, I saw that Milton also likes to serve it sprinkled with furikake, which sounds like an epic addition.

For this appetizer, you’ll need one can of 25% Less Sodium Spam. To leech out even more of the salt, the recipe calls for soaking the cubed Spam in cold water for an hour, then draining before proceeding with the rest of the recipe

I thought this was a genius way to cut back on the sodium further. But I think that next time I would decrease the soaking time to only 30 minutes because once I added in all the other ingredients, the resulting dip tasted a little bland. I think you still want to retain some of that distinctive Spam taste, so that’s why I’m amending the recipe below.

Once the Spam has been drained, add it to the bowl of a food processor with cream cheese, then process until smooth. Mix in fresh dill, chives, lemon juice, sumac, and black pepper. Feel free to add more than stated in the recipe to get just the taste that you want. I definitely added in more chives and sumac.

Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours before serving.

The Spam whip is creamy and indulgent tasting. It is not aggressively salty in the least. The consistency will remind you of tuna dip, if you’ve ever made that.

Enjoy Spam in a whole new way — because you know your love for it runs deeper than you care to admit.

Whipped Spam with Toast Points
(Makes about 3 cups)

1 (12-ounce) can 25% Less Sodium Spam, cut into roughly 1-inch cubes, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour and drained

12 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or to taste

1 teaspoon sumac or to taste

Several healthy grinds of black pepper

For serving:

Toasted sliced white bread, quartered into triangles or crackers

Sliced cornichons or chopped chowchow

In a food processor, blend the Spam and cream cheese until smooth. Add the dill, chives, lemon juice, sumac, and black pepper, and blend until well combined. Refrigerate for several hours to chill.

To serve: Spread over toasted bread and garnish with cornichons or chowchow. Or serve alongside your favorite crackers.

Adapted from “Padma’s All American: A Cookbook” by Padma Lakshmi

Another Spam Dish to Enjoy: Lahaina Fried Soup (Fat Chow Fun) by Sheldon Simeon