And the Winner is.....

This week football playoffs were the center of Sunday television. I thought it would be fun to do a sandwich play off. One from Chicago, one from Wisconsin and an unknown. Here is what is on the table:

Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Wisconsin beer Brat
Beef Sticky Buns

Three Bean and Beef Chili

This was an interesting project. The Chicago hot dog is built on a poppy seed bun. I discovered there is an order to the how the toppings are added. Steam the bun and pile on the toppings, yellow mustard, sweet pickle relish (could not bring myself to buy the neon green relish),chopped onion, tomato wedges, the grilled hot dog, dill pickle spear, chopped jalapeno pepper and celery salt. Don't even think about using ketchup. Lots of good flavor, but it falls apart easily and I had use a fork.

The Wisconsin brat is simmered in butter, beer, onions, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, sauerkraut and brown sugar. The brat is placed on the bun and the simmering liquid is drained and the onion-sauerkraut mixture is spooned over the brat. Grated Swiss cheese is melted over all. I like brats, beer, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese....separately. Did not care for the sandwich. Rather bland looking.

The surprising winner of the day is the beef sticky bun. Ground chuck is browned with sage, garlic and onion powders, salt and red pepper flakes until it crumbles and is cooked through. Diced onions and sliced mushrooms are added. When they are softened, 3 cups of baby spinach are stirred in and cooked until complete wilted. Remove from the heat and cool completely. When cooled, stir in shredded sharp Cheddar cheese. Refrigerated pizza dough is rolled out to a rectangle. The meat mixture is spread over the dough leaving a half inch at one of the short ends. Roll up the dough and seal. Cut in 8 pieces and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake until golden. While they are warm drizzle with heated pepper jelly and cream cheese which has been thinned with a bit of milk. These are incredible. They look much like pecan rolls, but are savory. It expect they would be equally good with other ground meats, chicken or turkey. They reheat nicely.

The chili is a healthy one. Diced onion, red bell pepper and carrots are sauteed with cumin and extra lean ground beef. Crushed tomatoes and water are added along with a minced chipolte chile in adobo sauce. Oregano is added along with one can each drained and rinsed black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. As is the case with most chili's, it gets better with each reheating.

Though the outcome of game was not as I had hoped, the table was great. We shall see what next week brings. Stay warm!