...and The Next Food Network Star is....The Sandwich King

Last week Jeff Mauro was crowned the Next Food Network Star. He is also known as The Sandwich King from Elmwood Park, Illinois. My table this week features two of his sandwiches; one from the competition and one from an appearance on Good Morning America. His motto is: that he can turn any meal into a sandwich and any sandwich into a meal.

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Sliders
Jeff Mauro's Greek Taco

Cheesecake-Stuffed Peaches with Blueberries

Chicken breasts and thighs are put in a processor until chunky. Then mixed in a bowl with ricotta, Worchestershire, S&P and parsley. Mix well and form into patties. Chill. Onions are put into an pan with EVOO and caramelized with sugar, S&P and a bit of whiskey to deglaze. The chicken patties are browned on both sides and finished in the oven. This combination of ingredients is excellent and I will use it again.

A dressing is made from egg yolks, lemon juice, Canola oil, hot sauce, capers and ketchup, and processed in a blender and chilled.

To assemble the sandwich a pretzel roll is buttered and toasted; the chicken slider is placed on the bottom , the onion relish and dressing are added and served with a dill pickle and garnished with minced chives.

The second sandwich is the Greek Taco. Ground lamb is browned in a bit of EVOO and removed from the pan. Red onion is cooked in the drippings; garlic and oregano are added. Tomato paste is added. Deglaze with red wine and put browned lamb back into pan. Set aside

Prepare Tzatziki; grate cucumber and place in strainer with salt to remove liquid. In a bowl mix Greek yogurt, Feta cheese, garlic and mint. Squeeze liquid from cucumber and add to bowl.

Tomato relish: Toss chopped and seeded tomato , diced cucumbers and red onions with EVOO, red wine vinegar and S&P. Let set at room temperature.

To assemble:
Toast a corn tortilla and place on a plate. Top with Tzatziki, lamb mixture and top with relish. Fold over to eat. An excellent sandwich!!

As a sweet after thought I prepared a cheesecake stuffed peach. The cream cheese is mixed with cinnamon and sugar, one egg yolk and vanilla. This mixture is spooned into peach halves and roasted in the oven. Half way through the baking a mixture of blueberries, brown sugar, butter and peach white balsamic vinegar is spooned over the top for another 1o minutes. This is a lovely light dessert.

These are a great couple of meals. I served the sandwiches with apple coleslaw for an extra crunch.

I have lots of possibilities for next week, but they will all depend on the weather. Have a great week.