BY MARIS CALLAHAN
Football season is here and if you’re anything like me, you think the game day snacks are just as important as the starting quarterback. It’s only week two of this year’s NFL season, but if you’re growing tired of buffalo chicken dips and other greasy football watch party fare, kick up the flavor of your favorite game day classics with ingredients that you might not already be using in your everyday cooking.
Whether your tailgate starts at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we have three great recipes from co-owner and executive chef of Twisted Foods, a Chicagoland company known for its flagship spreadable infused butters.
Super Simple Shrimp Dip
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 bag of baby shrimp
1 package cream cheese (room temp)
1 small onion, chopped
1 ½ cups mild cheddar cheese, grated
8 tablespoons Twisted Butter’s Chive and Parsley Butter (melted)
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce (optional)
Instructions:
In a food processor, add shrimp and chop fine. Add onion, cream cheese, mild cheddar and melted butter. Blend well. Place mixture in a bowl and refrigerate. Serve with chips and/or assorted vegetables.
Green Eggs and Corned Beef Hash
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Twisted Bacon, Dijon & Green Onion Butter
8 ounces cooked corned beef hash
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
4 tablespoons Twisted Bacon, Dijon & Green Onion Butter
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 slices cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)
Directions:
Heat the 3 tablespoons Twisted Bacon, Dijon & Green Onion Butter in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the corned beef hash and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it releases some fat and browns slightly, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the onion, bell pepper and potatoes and cook, undisturbed, until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 6 to 10 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the hash as it browns evenly, about 15 more minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs sunny-side up or over easy; season with salt and pepper.
Place the cheese slices on top of the hash, reduce the heat and let sit until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. To serve, top each portion of hash with a fried egg.
This can all be made on the grill in a non stick pan.
Sourdough Chive & Parsley Grilled Cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Eight 1/2-inch thick slices country-style sourdough bread
12 ounces farmhouse cheddar, Gruyere, or imported Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons Twisted Chive & Parsley Butter
Add ins: (Choose one…or more!)
8 slices smoked bacon, cooked and broken into 1-inch pieces
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced, and drained on paper towels for 5 minutes
8 slices baked ham
Directions:
Place 4 slices of bread on a cutting board. Lay half the cheese slices on the bread. Lay the bacon, tomato, or ham on top of the cheese. Cover with the remaining cheese. Top with the remaining slices of bread and press down slightly.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and melt a tablespoon of the Twisted Chive & Parsley butter. Carefully place 2 of the sandwiches in the pan, and cook until the bread browns and the cheese is slightly melted, about 5 minutes. (Or you can butter the bread with Twisted Chive & Parsley).
Turn the sandwiches with a spatula and add a small hazelnut-size piece of butter to the pan. Cook until the other side of the sandwiches is toasted and the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes more.
Repeat with the other sandwiches. (If at any time the bread starts to brown too quickly, lower the heat to prevent the bread from scorching before the cheese melts.) Serve.
