Again, as with so many events and holidays, for me, it’s all about the food, and so, even though for other people, the Superbowl might be about the actual game, or this year about Taylor Swift, I made some snack for this evening — here you go for your 2024 lineup; recipes after the jump:
Clockwise from top left…
St. Louis-style Toasted Ravioli
Bacony Poutine-ish Potato Skins
Nandos-inspired Peri Peri Wings
Baked BBQ Ranch Pulled Pork Taquitos
St. Louis-style Toasted Ravioli
Ingredients
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1 large egg
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
15-20 cheese ravioli, if frozen, thawed
3 cups vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Heat 2 inches oil in a large, heavy pan. Test a small clump of breading sizzles and turns brown.
Heat marinara sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbling; cover until ready to use (you may have to reheat, so I wouldn’t take it out of the pot just yet.)
While the oil comes up to temperature, whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl. Whisk breadcrumbs and salt together in a second small bowl. Dip each ravioli in milk mixture, then in breadcrumbs to coat.
Fry ravioli, a few at a time, until golden, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a cooling rack set in a pan, covered with paper towels. Sprinkle warm ravioli with Parmesan and serve immediately with hot marinara sauce on the side.
Bacony Poutine-ish Potato Skins
Ingredients
6 slices bacon, cut to 1 inch pieces, rendered and crispy, bacon grease reserved
3 whole russet potatoes
1 package Brown Gravy Mix
1 large handful of french fries, cooked
1 cup of white cheddar cheese curds
salt and pepper to taste
scallions, sliced (optional)
Directions
Heat oven to 400F. Poke the top of each potato with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 1 hour. Once cooked, remove from the baking sheet, and place on a plate to let cool for about 15 minutes. During this time, make your brown gravy by following the package directions. Mix, and bring to a simmer.
Once your potatoes are cooled, use a sharp bread knife and you will cut lengthwise. With a small spoon, being careful, scoop out about 70 percent of the potato, as you still want some potato in your boat. Place on a baking sheet and use the rendered bacon fat to brush the insides of the potato boats. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a little crispy on the inside (this also “waterproofs” them a little from the gravy.
Once the potato skins are nice and crispy on the interior, remove from the oven, and add a few crispy french fries into the bottom of each potato. Yes, more potato in a potato, along with some gravy and bacon pieces. Top with cheese curds, and a little more gravy. Shower with sliced scallions if you desire.
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Baked “Cheater” BBQ Ranch Pulled Pork Taquitos
Ingredients
1 16-ounce packaged fully cooked pulled pork (see note)
1 1/2 cups or 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, (see note)
10 6-inch flour tortillas
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
vegetable oil for frying
ranch dressing for serving
1/2 small red onion, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced (optional)
Directions
Heat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
Bring the pulled pork up the room temperature. If it is not shredded and mixed with BBQ, then do so. Spoon the meat evenly between the flour tortillas and sprinkle each one with cheese. Roll the tortillas tightly and place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Mine didn’t like to cooperate so I skewered them with a toothpick until I finish baking.
Brush lightly with oil. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to a platter and allow to cool slightly before serving. Drizzle the taquitos with additional barbecue sauce and ranch dressing. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and red onion before serving.
Note: There are more and more varieties of fully cooked pulled pork on the market, such as Jack Daniel’s Meats in the regular grocery store or the Kirkland-brand from Costco. Many of them have BBQ sauce already mixed in and if yours does, you can skip adding more sauce. I used the Trader Joe’s Hardwood Smoked Pulled Pork that does not have sauce so I added my own BBC sauce.
Ingredients
for the wings
4 pounds chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats
1 tablespoon baking powder (NOT baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Pinch of cracked pepper
for the sauce
1/4 cup honey
3-4 small red fresh chilies, de-seeded
4 cloves garlic
handful fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons (1/2 lemon) lemon juice
handful fresh parsley
Directions
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a heat-proof wire rack inside. Spray the rack with baking spray.
Pat dry chicken wings liberally with paper towels, squeezing out as much moisture as you can. Transfer them to a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together, whisking well to combine, and sprinkle the mixture over the wings. Toss wings through the baking powder mixture until evenly coated. Arrange on rack, leaving about 1-inch of space between each wing. Bake for 30 minutes; flip and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes longer, until golden browned and crispy, for about 1 hours without the sauce.
Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients except the parsley in a food processor and buzz until smooth. Chop the parsley by hand and add half to the sauce mixture. Place in a large bowl.
Remove wings from oven, toss with sauce and return to the oven for 15-18 minutes, turning after 8 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with sides and ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.