Arguing about what salad dressing is more appropriate for a baked Buffalo chicken dip recipe is kind of like debating about which shoes to wear with that Hawaiian shirt. Still, to some of us (and by “us,” I mean people from Western New York), these kinds of things are important.
No one can explain why, but for whatever reason, deep-fried chicken wings coated in hot sauce, taste really good dunked into creamy blue cheese dressing. However, despite this if-it’s-not-broke-don’t-fix-it dipping sauce, people started serving Buffalo wings with Ranch dressing. I’m not sure why, but assume it was some type of strong-arm tactics by the buttermilk industry. Those bastards.
I’m not saying that chicken wings dipped in Ranch are terrible; I’m just saying that the sharper, saltier tang of blue cheese dressing works much better. That goes for the classic hot wings, as well as when this iconic recipe is in dip form.
As I joked about in the video (it wasn't a joke), you can’t keep showing up at these Super Bowl parties with a bag of chips every year. So, if you’re ready to go from snack scrub to appetizer all-star, then give this great baked dip a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot pepper sauce, or other Louisiana-style hot sauce
1/2 cup blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese, plus a little for the top
I'm proud to announce that Food Wishes has been awarded the 2012 Tasty Award for Best Food Program: Web. I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to nominate and vote for the blog.
I wasn’t able to attend the ceremonies in Hollywood, but our dear friend Sara, from Average Betty, did, and graciously accepted on our behalf. When she wasn’t accepting other people’s Tasty Awards, she was accepting her own, winning for Best Critic or Review Series. Congratulations, Sara, and thank you for representing!
Speaking of representing, check out this great video Sara did recently featuring David Chang’s Potato Volcano from the Momofuku Milk Bar in New York. If you're looking for a metaphorically suitable Valentine's side dish, this may be just the thing. Click here to check out the full blog post and recipe on Average Betty. Enjoy!
Hot dogs and hamburgers are fine for the regular season, but when the playoffs and Super Bowl roll around, you need to upgrade the tailgate menu to something a little more special, like this “steakage” steak sandwich.
The name comes from the fact that the steak is being treated more like a sausage link. The problem with a traditional steak sandwich is it usually consists of a thin slice of beef, grilled and served on a thick sandwich roll. The steak to bread ratio is way off, and it’s very easy to overcook the meat.
Here, by cutting our steak into thick strips, we not only have a more geometrically appropriate piece of meat for our smaller bun, but we are able to get a nice sear on the outside without having to worry about the inside overcooking.
I used a gorgeous flat iron steak, and I really hope you can get one from your butcher, but if you can’t, this technique should work for other cuts of steak as well. NY strip, rib eye, top sirloin, and tenderloin could all be made to work. The key is something that can be cut into a large slab first, ideally about 1 1/2-inch thick, and then into strips about the same width, and as long as your bun.
I was very happy with these, and really enjoyed the little extra something the grilled mushrooms provided. The smoky salad added an earthy texture to the grilled beef, and it was all tied together nicely with the barbecue vinaigrette. To make this easy and versatile condiment, simply combine 3 parts barbecue sauce, with 2 parts vegetable oil, and 1 part cider vinegar.
So, if you were planning on splurging for your next backyard tailgate, and want to serve something a little out of the ordinary, then maybe give this whole “steakage” thing a try. By the way, it goes without saying that this would rock with cheese on it, but the American Kobe beef I was lucky enough to use was so exquisite that I didn’t want to cover it up. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 portions:
1 fully-trimmed flat iron steak
6 hot dog buns
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
mayonnaise and arugula leaves as needed
For the mushrooms salad:
8 oz brown clamshell mushrooms, grilled, separated
