Coney Island Knishes – St. Patrick’s Day Leftovers Edition

One of my earliest “exotic” food experiences was eating potato knishes with my Dad when we’d visit Coney Island. There were the square variety, and we’d buy them from a hot dog cart, and since potatoes were my favorite food growing up, I was in heaven. I mean, mashed potatoes in a warm, flaky pastry? I’ll have two, please.

Back then they were still made with copious amounts of chicken fat, also know as “schmaltz,” which was the real secret behind their awesomeness, but you can make a perfectly fine version without that, especially if you have some leftover corned beef around. Regardless of how you fill these, the technique seen herein will work, and half the fun is trying new versions. As long as the base is mashed potato, spiked with onions fried in lots of fat, anything goes.

I think the baked version is the easiest, but if you feel so inclined, these can also be deep-fried, or pan-fried. No matter how you cook them, one of the keys is getting the dough nice and thin, so your finished product is mostly filling. Other than that, these are relatively simple to make, and the kind of snack that fills more than just an empty stomach, which is why I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 16 Knishes:

(Please Note: I only used half the dough in the video, and only made enough filling for 8 knishes, but the following ingredients will make 16 total)

For the dough:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg, beaten

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup warm water

For the filling (might make extra):

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered, and boiled in salted water until tender

1/2 cup melted butter, and/or rendered chicken fat

2 cups diced yellow onion

2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon fine salt), plus more to taste

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

8 ounces diced corned beef

1 cup finely chopped cooked cabbage

- Bake at 375 F. for about 40 minutes, or until golden-brown

-->

Meatball-Stuffed Garlic Bread Sliders – A Hole Lot of Awesome

I’ve wanted to do a video for baked cheeseburger sliders for a while now, but I’ve also been craving a meatball sub, so long story short, this is what I ended up with, and they were amazing. Above and beyond some decent ingredients, the real secret to these beauties is placing the meatball in through the top of the roll, versus splitting and stuffing in the traditional manner.

I can’t explain exactly why, but there’s something very special about these, and they really were a lot of fun to eat. Maybe it ‘s the symmetry, or center of gravity, but they just feel right in your hand. I’m not sure who invented this technique, but I first saw it on a blog called, Cooking for Keeps, so they get the credit for now.

Like I mention in the video, this easy procedure would lend itself to all kinds of variations, and I expect to see some great ones shared on social media soon. We’re getting close to the Super Bowl, and like I said before, it’s not about who wins the trophy, but rather who wins the snack table, and if you show up with these, that will be you. So, I really do hope you give these meatballs-stuffed garlic bread sliders a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 18 Meatball-Stuffed Garlic Bread Sliders:

18 dinner rolls (I used Hawaiian rolls, but will try regular less-sweet ones next time)

3 tablespoons butter infused with 3 or 4 cloves of crushed or minced garlic

1 pound grass-fed beef

1 diced yellow onion and a few cloves of garlic sautéed until soft in olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

1 large egg

1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 cup grated fontina cheese, divided (big handful in the meatball mix, and the rest on top)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

2 cups prepared tomato sauce

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the top

-->

Juicy Lucy – So Jucy

No, that’s not a typo. Depending on whom you talk to, this cheese-stuffed burger is either called a “Juicy Lucy,” or a “Jucy Lucy.” That’s because two restaurants in Minneapolis claim to have invented it, and they spell it differently. The 5-8 Club goes with “Juicy,” while Matt's Bar saves a character and spells it, “Jucy.” Unless you end up on some kind of cheeseburger related trivia show, this is probably useless information, but hey, you never know. 

By the way, I’m not picking sides, but went with “Juicy,” simply to appease my spell-checker. No matter how you spell it, one thing is for sure; this isn’t just any old cheeseburger.

The cheese stuffing really does keep the meat juicier, and the mouthfeel is noticeably different that what you experience with a burger that has cheese melted over the top. However, for this to work you need to keep the cheese inside, which means making sure you thoroughly and thoughtfully press the edges of the two patties together.

Please note that the times I gave in the video may, or may not, be close to what you’ll need. There are so many variables such as fat content, meat temperature, pan temperature, cheese choice, and portion size, just to name a few. So, doing some testing before the big burger party is recommended. Best homework, ever! Above and beyond that, not much can go wrong, so I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Madame Cristo, I Presume

I was attempting to do a little twist on the venerable Croque Madame, by soaking the toast in a custard batter before frying, instead of topping it with the usual white sauce, but when I’d finished, I realized what I really had created was a Monte Cristo with a poached egg on top. These things will happen.

It was amazingly delicious, but I decided it wasn’t close enough to call a Croque Madame, which is when I turned to Twitter for help. This is never a good idea, but this time it totally worked out, as some dude who goes by the name, Zap Shakur (@zapshakur), suggested I go with “Madame Cristo,” and the rest is history.

If you’re just making one or two, feel free to poach your eggs right before the sandwiches are done, but for larger parties, you’ll want to check out this poached egg video, which shows a great make-ahead method for serving multiple poached eggs at the same time. This is exactly how it’s done in restaurants, where cooking to order would be virtually impossible.

If you are feeding a larger group, you can make your sandwiches ahead, and then just keep them in a warm oven, until you're ready to top with the poached eggs. But, whether you’re making this for two or twenty, I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Madame Cristos:

4 slices white bread, lightly toasted

8 thin slices of Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, Havarti, or any other melting cheese

4 ounces thinly sliced honey baked ham or similar meat product

2 tablespoons butter for pan frying

2 poached or fried eggs to top

chives to garnish

For the egg batter:

2 large eggs

5 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

pinch of nutmeg and cayenne

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

The “Hot Brown” – Kentucky’s Favorite Bourbon Absorbent

As I joked about in the intro, for something to be called a “Hot Brown,” and still become so wildly popular, is a true testament to just how amazingly delicious this really is. 

Invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, to help late night partygoers keep going, this hot turkey gratin may be my all-time favorite, fork and knife sandwich.

And for something that seems so decadent, I don’t actually find it to be all that heavy of a meal. Of course, that could be the bourbon talking. I guess you could use milk instead of cream to lighten this up, but unless you’re going to start eating these several times a week, I think you should stick to the original formula.

I’m sure this would be okay with some thickly sliced turkey from the deli, but roasting your own is pretty easy, and you can use the leftovers for a few less extravagant sandwiches. Either way, I really do hope you give this Kentucky classic a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the sauce (enough for 4 small or 2 giant portions):

2 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for grating on top

pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

For the turkey (enough for 4 portions):
1 teaspoon oil or butter to grease baking dish

2 pound boneless turkey breast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, or other dried/fresh herbs of your choice

- Roast at 350 F. to an internal temp of 148 F.

For each Hot Brown:

2 pieces white bread, toasted

6 ounces roast turkey breast (3 thick slices)

3 slices of tomato

enough prepared cheese sauce to cover

grated Pecorino Romano for the top

paprika or cayenne for the top

2 slices bacon, precooked

chopped Italian parsley

- Finish under a low broiler, or in 475 F. oven until the sauce is bubbly and browned, and the bacon is cooked. To cheat, you can cook bacon crisp separately, and just top the finished dish, but I think it tastes better if you brown with the bacon on top.

HONEY AND HUNG CURD VEGETABLE SANDWICHES

Healthy and delicious vegetable sandwiches made with multigrain bread and a filling of hung curd, honey, home made eggless mayonnaise, carrots, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper seasoned with mustard sauce, black pepper and red chilli flakes.- make and enjoy them any time of the day !









Ingredients:
Multigrain bread ....... 4 slices or as required
Carrot ....................... 1 small

HOMEMADE SUBWAY CHICKEN SANDWICH

Fast food like burgers and subway sandwiches have become very popular these days. Making your own subway sandwich is not a difficult task. Just get all the ingredients of your choice and assemble it just the way you like it. It has a lot of stuffings and is really very filling. It is also a perfect lunch box meal.
 I have used sauteed chicken with bell pepper. You can even use ham slices or