From appetizers to entrees to desserts, 2017 was a buffet of discovery. We featured Tater Tots for the Super Bowl, and the loaded tots, Buffalo-chicken-inspired tot-chos from Food & Dining’s Joseph Hernandez, had us digging in like college kids. My story celebrating tramezzini led us to devour a tray of the Italian sandwiches, especially a recipe inspired by carbonara.
For entree dishes, we enjoyed comfort foods in January, including food writer Louisa Chu’s version of mapo tofu, a spicy Sichuan dish. Nick Kindelsperger taught us how to up our quesadilla game and included his recipe for a fresh masa dough version with poblanos and cheese. Braised pork from “Dinner at Home” columnist JeanMarie Brownson filled another Mexican-inspired dish, her double-decker pork tacos. And a rich savory tart from “Home on the Range” columnist Leah Eskin featured three types of mushrooms in a crisp crust.
A simple salad dressing, also from JeanMarie, became a go-to secret, its bounty of fresh herbs and peppery arugula in a mayonnaise base showing up again and again in all kinds of summer salads, plus as a dip for fresh or grilled vegetables. Friends and family who tried it again and again asked for the recipe. And among cocktails featured in our Sunday Life+Styles column “Drink,” the Verde Maria, which Chicago freelance writer Lisa Futterman featured, stood out for its fresh and tart flavors.
For dessert, our favorites included a lemon-ginger icebox pie from former Tribune food writer (and now freelancer) Robin Mather, a rich retro treat that should never go out of style. And Chicago pastry chef Dana Cree, of The Publican restaurants, took fresh peaches that most of us would discard and transformed them into memorable sherbet, as part of food writer Bill Daley’s “Ugly Food Rescue” series.
They are all here, our 10 favorite recipes from among the hundreds that emerged from the Tribune test kitchen this year. You’ll want to bookmark this page.
Mapo tofu
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: 2 to 4 servings
January saw us focusing on comfort foods as part of our monthly “Craving” series. Each writer contributed a recipe for our roundup of favorites, including this mapo tofu from Louisa Chu. She explained that the dish “is classically a complex, spicy and saucy dish from the southwestern province of Sichuan. In my kitchen, I almost always have all the ingredients I think essential on hand. Plus I add Lao Gan Ma, a spicy condiment, at the table, to share with friends or family whose heat tolerance differs from mine.” (See the full story here.)
1 ounce dried mushrooms (I prefer half shiitake and half wood ear)
1 bunch green onions
2 tablespoons peanut or coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste
2 thumb-size pieces of ginger, peeled, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry vermouth
Black bean garlic sauce
1 package (about 1 pound, sizes vary) soft tofu, cubed into about pingpong-ball-size pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Roasted sesame seed oil
Cooked rice (I prefer jasmine)
Roasted sesame seed oil
Lemon wedges
Lao Gan Ma
Roasted soybeans, peanuts or Marcona almonds, optional
1 Cover mushrooms in a small bowl with hot water by about 1 inch; add more if needed to just keep covered. Allow to soak until mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, straining and reserving the soaking water. Squeeze mushrooms dry; chop roughly.
2 Slice whites of the green onions in half lengthwise. Slice greens crosswise into rings as thin as possible; reserve for garnish.
3 Heat wok or saute pan over medium heat; add oil, garlic, ginger and whites of onions; cook until fragrant but not burned, 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms and soy sauce. Cook over high heat until mushrooms are golden brown and liquid mostly evaporates, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a bowl; reserve.
4 Return pan to medium heat; deglaze by carefully adding about 1 tablespoon each mushroom water and the vermouth and scraping up all browned bits. Add about 1 tablespoon black bean garlic sauce and reserved mushroom-garlic mixture; heat on high until bubbling.
5 Carefully add 1/2 cup mushroom soaking water and tofu, keeping cubes intact. Spoon sauce over tofu, then turn heat to low; cook, 5 minutes. Taste and add soy sauce as desired, then keep bubbling.
6 Pour about 2 tablespoons mushroom soaking water into a small bowl; whisk in the cornstarch until you have a milky consistency. (Add more cold water, if needed.) Drizzle slurry around edges of sauce as needed to thicken as desired; stir well to incorporate.
7 Remove from heat, then drizzle sparingly with sesame oil. Serve with rice, reserved greens of the green onions, lemon, soy sauce, Lao Gan Ma, and soybeans or nuts to taste.
Nutrition information per serving: 192 calories, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 11 g protein, 309 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Verde Maria
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: 8 to 10 cocktails
Chicago freelance writer Lisa Futterman wrote up a tomatillo twist on the bloody mary, making believers out of those of us who hate the tomato-based original. The recipe from Publican Anker mixes a cucumber juice base with an avocado-tomatillo blend; you can make both ahead then combine, adding tequila, to finish the drink. (See the full story here.)
Base:
5 green onions, roughly chopped
3 cucumbers, roughly chopped
5 serrano chiles, roughly chopped
5 ½ tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5 tablespoons fish sauce
Mix:
16 tomatillos
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
1 ripe avocado
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Base: In a blender, puree the green onions, cucumbers, serrano chiles, sugar, lime juice and fish sauce until smooth. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove any chunks. (Don’t press too hard or you will get chunks.)
Mix: Heat oven to 500 degrees; roast tomatillos on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet until charred and soft, 15 minutes. Allow tomatillos to cool. Combine in a blender, the roasted tomatillos, lime juice, avocado, celery seed, Worcestershire, salt, sugar, cilantro and parsley. Blend until smooth.
Finish: Combine 3 ounces of the base, 3 ounces of the mix and 2 ounces blanco tequila in an ice-filled pint glass or other tall glass; stir. Garnish with a round of cucumber and a lime wedge. Serve at once.
Overripe peach and buttermilk sherbet
Prep: 1 hour, plus churning and freezing time
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 1 quart sherbet
Dana Cree, pastry chef for The Publican restaurants, shared a recipe from her masterful book “Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop” (Clarkson Potter, $25). It was part of Tribune food writer Bill Daley’s series “Ugly Food Rescue,” in which he challenged Chicago chefs to transform battered produce. (For the full series, go here.) Cree’s sherbet from 10 pounds of overripe peaches taught us to look below the surface of blemishes and bruises.
10 pounds peaches, pitted, trimmed of bruises and other blemishes, cut into chunks, 8 peach pits reserved
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk
Fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1. Break peach pieces up roughly with your hands. Pour into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly. Puree in batches using a blender, food processor or food mill. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl. Remove about 2 cups of peach puree and place in a small bowl or pan; let cool. Portion the remainder into storage bags or containers and freeze.
2. Place the sugar in a saucepan with heavy cream. Heat on medium-high heat until boiling, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. If using peach kernels to flavor the cream, place peach pits inside a folded kitchen towel. Smash the pits using a heavy-bottomed pan (yes, it’s noisy), extract the almondlike kernel from the smashed pits. Add peach kernels or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the cream mixture. Place in a small saucepan or bowl and set in a large bowl filled with water and ice; rapidly cool this sherbet base. When cold, whisk in the buttermilk.
3. Pour the buttermilk-cream mixture through a sieve to remove the peach kernels if using. Mix 2 cups of the cool peach puree into the buttermilk-cream. Pour into an ice cream maker, and follow manufacturer’s instructions to create 1 quart of sherbet. (Leftover sherbet base? Freeze in ice cube trays or paper cups to make ice pops.)
4. The finished sherbet will have a soft-serve consistency. For the firmer American hard-pack style, place the sherbet in a covered container and freeze overnight.
Lemon-ginger icebox pie
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Chill: 4 hours or overnight
Makes: 8 servings
Freelance food writer Robin Mather explored icebox desserts right when we needed them, the peak of summer. Her lemon- and ginger-kissed pie, as she wrote, “never goes out of style.” We followed her tip, making the pies in individual springform pans. (Find the full story here.)
Crust:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs, divided
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup fresh lemon juice
6 egg yolks
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Garnish:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Lemon slices and crystallized ginger
1 For the crust, heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 1/4 cups gingersnap crumbs with the powdered sugar. Add the melted butter, and stir to combine. Press the crumbs into a deep dish pie dish or a 9-inch springform pan, working the crumbs up the sides of the dish and pressing down firmly with your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. (Or divide among six individual springform pans, a scant 1/4 cup in each.) Bake the crust, 10 minutes; remove from oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes.
2 For the filling, combine the condensed milk, lemon juice, egg yolks and lemon zest in a medium bowl, stirring until well blended. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust (or in the individual pans), and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven, let cool at room temperature about 30 minutes, then press plastic wrap tightly on the top of the filling. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
3 To serve, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks with a beater or whisk. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until firm peaks form. Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the pie. Top the refrigerated pie with the whipped cream (piping big rosettes around the outside looks pretty), and shower the remaining 1/4 cup gingerbread crumbs over the whipped cream. Garnish with thin slices of lemon and crystallized ginger, if desired, and serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 558 calories, 26 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 205 mg cholesterol, 73 g carbohydrates, 66 g sugar, 12 g protein, 220 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
Fresh herb mayonnaise dressing
Prep: 10 minutes
Makes: about 1 1/2 cups
JeanMarie Brownson wrote about what to do with the glories you’ll find at the first farmers markets of spring. Among those recipes, this rich, fresh dressing caught our attention most. “I combine several herbs with mayonnaise, garlic and Parmesan for a salad dressing that tastes of the garden,” she wrote. We used this recipe all summer long, in salads as a dip, in everything. (For the story, go here.)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 cup (1 1/2 ounces) baby arugula
1/2 cup (1/2 ounce) chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup organic mayonnaise
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan, 2 ounces
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Turn the blender on and add garlic through the lid; process until chopped. Add the arugula, basil, mint, olive oil and 1/4 cup water. Process to a smooth paste. Add mayonnaise, cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Transfer to a wide-mouth jar with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate covered up to several days.
Nutrition information per tablespoon: 66 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 1 g protein, 135 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Carbonara tramezzini
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Makes: 4 tramezzini (half sandwiches)
Tramezzini are Italian sandwiches that are quite different from the panini most of us know so well. We featured this one from the book “Aperitivo” by Marisa Huff, who got the recipe from the Gran Caffe Diemme in Padua, Italy. The filling is built on the classic ingredients of carbonara sauce: bacon, eggs and cheese. (See the story here.)
4 ounces guanciale, pancetta or good dry-cured bacon, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4 large hard-cooked eggs, shelled, chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed grated pecorino Romano
3 tablespoons mayonnaise, Italian-style, see recipe, or store-bought
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, brown the guanciale until crispy and golden, about 2 minutes, tossing occasionally for even browning. Transfer the guanciale to a paper towel-lined plate, and let cool.
2 In a bowl, mix together the guanciale, eggs, grated pecorino Romano, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and a couple of grindings of pepper.
3 Arrange the bread slices on a cutting board or flat work surface. Spread the remaining mayonnaise atop each slice. Divide the egg mixture between two slices, then close the sandwiches with the remaining bread, mayonnaise-side down. Cut both sandwiches in half either lengthwise or on the diagonal to make 4 tramezzini.
Nutrition information per serving: 314 calories, 17 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 211 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 17 g protein, 507 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Mayonnaise, Italian-style
In a medium bowl, whisk 2 large egg yolks (at room temperature) until frothy. (Alternatively, use a handheld electric or stand mixer.) Gradually add 1/2 cup vegetable oil, a tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously until the mixture has thickened. Whisk in the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of fine sea salt. While whisking continuously, gradually add 3/4 cup more vegetable oil and 1/4 cup olive oil. Keeps, covered and refrigerated, for about a week. Makes: 1 1/2 cups
Quesadillas with fresh corn masa
Prep: 35 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 8 quesadillas
The quesadilla is one of those simple dishes that many of us throw together as part of our regular dinner rotation but don’t really maximize for flavor. Tribune food writer Nick Kindelsperger dived in, using fresh masa dough for optimal results. (See his story here.)
2 poblano chiles
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 large white onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh epazote (if available) or fresh cilantro
12 ounces fresh masa dough
1/2 pound shredded Monterey Jack or queso Chihuahua
Guacamole for serving
1 If using a gas stove: Place poblano chiles on the grate above a burner. Turn heat to high. Cook until blackened on the bottom. Use a pair of tongs to rotate the chiles until blackened all over. Transfer chiles to a paper bag to steam, 15 minutes. Peel off blackened skin, and remove stems and seeds. Cut poblanos into 1/4-inch thick slices.
2 If using a broiler: Adjust oven rack to top, and heat broiler to high. Set chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet, and slide sheet underneath the broiler. Cook until blackened on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until blackened on the other side, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chiles to a plastic bag to steam for 15 minutes. Peel off blackened skin, and remove stems and seeds. Cut poblanos into 1/4-inch thick strips.
3 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano and onion slices; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onions are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and epazote (or cilantro), and stir well. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off heat. Transfer chile and onion mixture to a bowl; set aside until cool. Clean out the skillet.
4 Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat.
5 Divide masa into 1 1/2-ounce balls (about the size of a pingpong ball). Place an 8-inch round sheet of plastic (thin grocery store bags work extremely well) on the bottom plate of a tortilla press. Set one masa ball on the plastic, and place a second 8-inch round sheet of plastic on top. Flatten the masa gently with the tortilla press, until it’s about a 4-inch circle and about 1/16-inch thick. You may need to press more than once for an even quesadilla, turning the disk 90 degrees between each pressing.
6 Carefully remove the top sheet of plastic. Place an ounce of cheese and a few strips of the poblano and onion on half of the masa circle. Using the bottom plastic sheet, fold the quesadilla in half to form a half moon shape. Compress the edges, so that no filling can get out. Gently roll the quesadilla onto your hand; transfer directly to the skillet. Cook, flipping the quesadilla every minute or so, until the exterior is nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining masa balls. Serve with guacamole.
Nutrition information per quesadilla: 293 calories, 14 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 12 g protein, 317 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
Beer- and red chile-braised pork with orange and onions
Prep: 30 minutes
Marinate: 30 minutes or up to 2 days
Cooks: 3 hours
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
JeanMarie Brownson offered this braised pork as the base for tacos to feed a crowd for weekend suppers or casual parties. To cook the pork in a slow-cooker, reduce the beer to 1/2 cup, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Use the pork in her double-decker pork tacos (recipe below). (See the story here.)
1/4 cup pure ancho chile powder, about 1 ounce
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (or smoked paprika for a milder dish)
2 teaspoons each: salt, dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4- to 5-pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
4 large garlic cloves, cut into slivers
1 large (10 ounce) white onion, quartered, thinly sliced
2 small navel oranges, ends trimmed, each cut into 8 wedges
1 bottle light-tasting Mexican beer
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
1 Mix chile powders, salt, oregano, cumin and allspice in small dish. Pat pork dry and place in a large Dutch oven. Insert the tip of a small paring knife into the pork making a slit; insert a garlic sliver into the slit. Repeat to insert garlic slivers in a dozen or so places all around the pork roast. Rub the pork all over with the chile mixture; use all of it to coat well. Refrigerate, loosely covered up to 2 days. Or, let rest on the counter while the oven heats.
2 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put onion slices and orange pieces around the pork. Pour beer and 1/2 cup water around (but not over) the pork. Set the lid in place and slide pot into the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cook, 1 1/2 hours. Check the liquid in the pan, adding more water if needed. Continue cooking, checking liquid occasionally, until the pork is fall-apart tender, about another 1 1/2 hours.
3 Let the pork cool in the pan until you can handle it. (The pork can be refrigerated covered for several days. Reheat gently.) Transfer pork to a cutting board and use a knife and fork to pull the meat into rough shreds. Remove and discard the orange pieces from the pan juices. Skim any excess fat from the pan juices. Return the pork shreds to the pan juices. Season to taste with salt. Serve warm, garnished with cilantro.
Nutrition information per serving (for 8 servings): 182 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 69 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 23 g protein, 868 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
Double-decker pork tacos
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Makes: 16 tacos, serving 6 to 8
1 large red onion, halved, very thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes
Salt
About 5 cups shredded beer- and red chile-braised pork, see recipe
Expeller-pressed canola oil, sunflower or safflower oil
32 corn tortillas
1 to 1 1/4 pounds Monterey jack, shredded
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Speedy red chile salsa (see recipe here)
Lime wedges
1 Mix onion and lime juice in a small bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt, and let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes.
2 When you are ready to start making tacos, put shredded pork into a bowl and microwave covered on high, stirring often, until warmed, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste for salt. Set tortillas and cheese near the cooking surface. Set out bowls of the onions, cilantro, salsa and lime wedges.
3 Heat a large nonstick griddle (or 2 large nonstick skillets) over medium heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Drizzle a little oil onto the griddle. Place tortillas onto griddle in a single uncrowded layer. Top each tortilla with 2 heaping tablespoons cheese. Top with a second tortilla. Let the tortilla piles stay on the griddle until the bottom is lightly crisped. Flip each pile, and then top with about ¼ cup of the pork arranged on one half of the tortilla round. Add a sprinkle of cilantro. Fold the tortillas in half to make a taco, remove from the griddle to a warm platter. Repeat to make remaining tacos. Serve right away with the red onions, salsa and limes.
Nutrition information per taco: 408 calories, 23 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 94 mg cholesterol, 24 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 27 g protein, 217 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Mushroom tart
Prep: 1 hour plus time to chill/freeze/cool
Bake: 50 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
Leah Eskin, whose weekly column, “Home on the Range,” appears in the Sunday Life+Styles section, created this rich tart for spring’s mushrooms. It was one of Leah’s 10 favorite recipes for the year. See all 10 of those recipes here.
Crisp tart pastry, see recipe
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 pound plain mushrooms, such as white button and cremini, cleaned, chopped
1/2 pound fancy mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake and maitake, cleaned, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup sherry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
Truffle salt, if you have it
1 Roll: On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled tart pastry to about 1/8-inch thin, and fit into an 8-by-10-inch rectangular (or 10-inch round) tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim edges. Prick with a fork. Line with foil. Freeze, 1 hour. (If you don’t have time to freeze thoroughly, line the foil with pie weights.)
2 Soak: Douse dried mushrooms with hot water. Let soak, 30 minutes. Drain, rinse and chop.
3 Brown: Heat oil and butter in a wide skillet over medium. Add shallots and cook, 2 minutes. Add both types of fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms turn soft and fragrant and many have browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme and rehydrated mushrooms; cook, 30 seconds. Turn up heat, pour in sherry and scrape up browned bits from the pan bottom. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
4 Mix: Whisk together yolks and cream in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and cooled mushrooms.
5 Bake: Set frozen tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet. Slide into a 400-degree oven and bake until shell begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Peel off foil. Scrape in mushroom filling. Bake until filling has set, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with truffle salt. Enjoy warm.
Crisp tart pastry: In the food processor, buzz together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup corn flour and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Drop in 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut up. Pulse until largest lumps are the size of peas. Pour in ice-cold water, 2 tablespoons at a time, and pulse until dough clumps. Pat pastry into a rectangle, wrap in waxed paper and chill, 1 hour.
Buffalo tot-chos
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Makes: 6-8 servings
For Super Bowl eats, we focused on the tot, including this recipe for loaded tots, or tot-chos, based on Buffalo chicken, developed by Tribune’s Joseph Hernandez. You’ll want to try the tot-chos and the other Tater Tot recipes during bowl season and the playoffs. See the other recipes here.
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1 bottle (12 ounces) hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
Salt and pepper
1 package (28 ounces) frozen Tater Tots
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Ranch dressing
1 Place chicken in a slow cooker. Coat chicken in garlic and cayenne powders. Add Worcestershire, butter and hot sauce. Cover and cook on low until fork tender, about 4 hours.
2 Once cooked, taste sauce and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Using two forks, shred the finished chicken finely. Reserve any sauce.
3 When ready to serve the chicken, prepare tots in oven according to package instructions. Remove from oven, and place on a serving platter or plate. Top with shredded chicken, blue cheese and ranch dressing.
Nutrition information per serving (for 8 servings): 599 calories, 39 g fat, 17 g saturated fat, 206 mg cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 37 g protein, 2,058 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
