Ah, football – 20 seconds of action followed by endless commentary, an elaborate system of appeals to challenge the codified rules of the game and coaches who are hailed for being equal parts The Great Santini, Jesus and CEOs - It is the perfect sport for our culture.
While I believe an hors d'oeuvre is an hors d'oeuvre no matter how déclassé the event; the problem here isn’t what to call the dish, it is what to bring. Like Thanksgiving or BBQ/Grill oriented picnics, this isn’t the exact moment for wild ideas or even nominal experimentation - People want something familiar: You could make something delicious like prunes stuffed with pate, almonds and brandy, tiny curried cauliflower samosas or mini-blini topped smoked salmon, sour cream and dill and they aren’t going to move off the buffet table as quickly as the mini-weenies wrapped Pillsbury croissants will.
The presence of the New Orleans Saints in this year’s competition might give you a little room to get creative. A spicy red bean dip or the ability to sprinkle a cayenne-paprika-black pepper-garlic powder mixture on any food and say it has been Cajunized.
One of my favorite finger foods a pretty straightforward combination of meat & potatoes – so unvarnished, in fact, I like to call this dish “Meat & Potatoes”. A slice of steak glued to a sliced, roasted potato with a little horseradish. Not fancy, not original but it goes with beer and it is a winner at parties and really isn’t that what Super Bowl Sunday is really about, fielding a winner and drinking beer?
For 20:
4-5 Yukon Gold or Gold Potatoes
Salt, Pepper and oil
8 oz of Steak – Sirloin, Hangar, Flat Iron or for the fancier; NY Strip
1 oz Sour Cream
1 heaping Tablespoon of horseradish.
Preheat oven to 450
You should get a about 4 to 5 slices per potato. The slices will appropriately look like chips on steroids. While you can’t use the rounded end pieces in the presentation, you still want to roast them – they make a nice treat for the cook.
Toss potatoes in oil, salt and pepper and arrange on a sheet pan lined with lightly oiled foil, parchment or reusable Silipat-type liner. Place 1/4 cup hot tap water on bottom of pan and place in oven. Begin checking for doneness after 15 minutes by poke potato with fork - the fork should both go in and come out easily. An optional 2 minutes under the broiler will develop a nice color.
While the potatoes are cooking, grill or cook steak. Rare is good – about 3 minutes per side. Let Steak rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Mix sour Cream and horseradish together.
Dab the top (the side with the better color) of the potato with a Sour Cream Horseradish. Remove, noticeable grizzle and fat from the steak and cut into thin slices and place on top of the horseradished potato. Arrange on a plate, serve at room temp. A small dusting of cayenne-paprika-black pepper-garlic powder mixture will Cajunize the dish, but I think a light dusting of salt & pepper right before service is more than enough.
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