I love the Super Bowl. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t tell you who is playing or any of the players’ names. Most of the time, I have no idea what the score is or which team is ahead. To me, there are only two teams that matter—the commercials and the food-—and I am a die-hard fan of both.
I must confess that I am a bar food enthusiast. To me, it is the direct descendant of comfort food. Like its next of kin, macaroni and cheese, bar food doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not and it doesn’t rely on its looks, It’s real and authentic, unassuming and dependable. If it were a person, we’d be getting together weekly for lunch.
The Super Bowl is the ultimate celebration of bar food. What Super Bowl party would be complete without Buffalo chicken wings, potato skins, nachos (incidentally, my husband’s friends now tell me I was accepted as part of the group the moment they ate these), chili, and ice cold beer? Normally banned from my pantry, Super Bowl Sunday is the day to appreciate Velveeta and its rightful place in the world. Bring on the Rotel dip in the crock-pot! It really wouldn’t be a Super Bowl without it, now would it?
By the end of Sunday evening, I will go home complaining that I ate too much and hoping that my own wardrobe doesn’t malfunction. Undoubtedly, there will be a few new recipes in my hand or on their way via email, and I’ll be reminiscing about the best commercials of the evening and vowing to head to the gym first thing on Monday.
Just don’t ask me who won.
Super Bowl Nachos
(Serves 8-10 as a Super Bowl appetizer when paired with other appetizers—these tend to go quickly.)
The secret to good nachos is keeping the hot part hot and the cold part cold. Use the ingredients you like and omit the ones you don’t.
Cover a cookie sheet with tortilla chips of your choice, but preferably not too salty. Be sure have plenty around the edges and less toward the middle.
Layer taco meat over chips (to make this easily, sauté one small white onion with a pound of ground turkey or beef, add taco seasoning, about 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. If you wish to reduce salt, low sodium tomato sauce is fine.)
Sprinkle half of a 15-ounce can of black beans (drained and rinsed) on top of meat.
If you prefer refried beans, add them after step 1 and put taco meat on top.
Cover well with cheddar cheese or unseasoned Mexican cheese blend.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Watch carefully!
After baking, layer these optional ingredients:
1 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
½ can black olives (I usually omit)
½-1 avocado, pitted and chopped
Pickled jalapeño peppers to taste
Top with sour cream, salsa (preferably purchased fresh if not homemade) and guacamole (you may purchase, but it’s easy to make--recipe follows.)
Enjoy!
Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1 small onion finely chopped
1-2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 ripe Roma tomato, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Kosher salt to taste
1/8 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Split avocado in half lengthwise and take out pit. Slice the avocado in crisscross style down to the skin so you are making little squares and scoop out. Leave as chunks or mash avocados with a fork in a medium serving bowl. Add all ingredients and stir well. Chill for about 1/2 hour to blend flavors.
