Game Day Meal

Although I am not the biggest of sports fans. I am a fan of any excuse to get together to eat and be merry while rooting for a grand ol' cause. For instance, when the Broncos play the Pats. (A note to my Chicago peeps no need to worry my heart belongs to the Chicago Bears). Nothing thrills me more than looking forward to 5 hours of eating and drinking with friends. So as Manning Omahas his way through a playoff game I enjoy snacking of gourmet snacks. We re-purposed brown paper bags to catch our shrimp shells.  I think we broke the rules on game day snacks but why sacrifice?

On the menu for game day: Cajun Shrimp with from semi-scratch horseradish sauce, fresh salad with homemade scallion dressings, hand cut sweet potato fries, paired with Roche Barrel Reserve American Oak Chardonnay from Sonoma. 

 

Cajun Shrimp Recipe 

Ingredients: 

1. 1 pound wild caught jumbo shrimp (with or without skins) 
2. 1 tablespoon of old bay 

Steps:

1. Boil a large pot of water (you will want enough water to cover shrimp)
2. Add tablespoon of old bay to boiling water
3. Rinse shrimp in a strainer to remove preservative salts 
4. Once water is boiling add shrimp (you may have to do this in batches)
5. After 3-5 minutes shrimp will be pink and ready. 
6. Remove cooked shrimp with a slotted spoon and add to a stainer (make sure your strainer is on a plate to catch liquid
7. Toss ready shrimp into a serving platter
8. Shrimp can be served hot or cold 

Shrimp Sauce

Ingredients: 

1. 1 tablespoon of Horseradish Sauce (see steps below)
2. 3 tablespoons of All Natural Ketchup (look for Hunts 100% natural)

Steps:

1. Mix together horseradish and ketchup to taste 
2. put in a cute serving dish and you are done

Horseradish Sauce 

Ingredients: 

1. 1 large Horseradish root (should be about a foot long)
2. 2 teaspoons of cup of sugar 
3. 3/4 of white vinegar 
4. 1/4 teaspoon of salt 

Steps for Horseradish Sauce:

1.  Remove the leaves from the root and rinse the dirt off of the root.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the surface skin off of the tuber. Chop into pieces.
3. Put into a food processor. Add a couple tablespoons of water. Process until well ground. At this point be careful. A ground up fresh horseradish is many times as potent as freshly chopped onions and can really hurt your eyes if you get too close. Keep at arms length away, and work in a well ventilated room. Strain out some of the water if the mixture is too liquidy. Add sugar. Add a tablespoon of white vinegar and a pinch of salt to the mixture. Pulse to combine.
4. Using a rubber spatula, carefully transfer the grated horseradish to a jar. It will keep for 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator

Scallion Dressing

 Ingredients and Steps: 

1. 3 tbsp Scallion Infused olive oil from the Olive Tap 
2. 2 tbsp regular Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
3. 1 teaspoon of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
4. Mix well and our over fresh salad 

Sweet Potato Fries 

                     

1. 2 medium sweet potatoes (we did one white and one orange)
2. 1 tablespoon of olive oil 
3. Acti-fry (this appliance is great for quick infared convection cooking
4. If you do not have an actifry you could do this in the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with parchment. In a bowl toss sweet potatoes in oil. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet, being sure not to overcrowd. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

1. Wash and peel potatoes 
2. Chop potatoes into long strips 
3. Add potatoes to Actifry (or follow steps above for oven process)
4. Drizzle oil onto potatoes and set timer for 30 minutes
5. When you have reached desired crispyness add fries to a plate and serve hot

Wine Pairing 

As it is game day we of course needed to include alcohol with our meal. We selected a white wine which would pair well with shrimp. When pairing wine with a meal it is important to first ask yourself do I want to emphasize the wine or the food. In this case we wanted to emphasize the shrimp. We selected a wine that would not overshadow the the flavorful and spice of the shrimp. When you have a spicy meal the key to wine pairing is to not pick an overly buttery wine. Look for a crisp white wine that is slight american oak. 

Cheers!