Manwich Smanwich!!

Hello everybody!! So here is the first of two blogs I'm posting tonight! This one takes on two classic American dishes, Sloppy Joes and Buffalo Chicken Wings, and combines them into one awesome dish, "Sloppy Buffalo Joes". The side dish takes on a gameday pub favorite, fried potato skins and makes them into "Mashed Potato Skins"! So first up, lets make the sauce!!

Now making the sauce is pretty simple. All you do is combine all the ingredients in a bowl and it's done. It's a good idea to mix it up early on so that is can just sit and the flavors can combine. The longer it sits, the better it gets!!

Next up lets get the potatoes started. So for this one you use a couple pounds of baby yukon gold potatoes. I have a hard time finding these around Birmingham so what i use is the green giant small yellow potatoes. They come in 1 lb bags so just get two bags and you're good! Quarter the potatoes and put them in a pot. Add just enough water to cover them and then heat them to a boil. Rachael Tip: Put the lid on the pot to bring it up to a boil, but when they do, take the lid off. Otherwise, the starches in the potatoes will cause the water to overflow! Arrange your bacon on a baking sheet sitting on a cookie sheet and place in the oven and back 12-15 minutes. Remove it, chop it and set it to the side!

While the potatoes are boiling, you can start to work on the sloppy joes! Heat the oil over medium-high heat and then add in the ground chicken. Break the chicken up and let it cook for 5 - 6 minutes. Rachael Tip: Use a wooden spoon or wooden kitchen paddle to break the meat up. They work great! You could use a potato masher, but, ground chicken is a little more wet than ground beef so it might prove a lil tricky. This is a "Ryan tip", lol, but you could also use this nifty tool from pampered chef if you know anyone that sells it. It's made specifically for breaking up meat. It is a star shaped tool and it works great. When I lived with my aunt in Tuscaloosa after moving there for work in 2008, she had one and it works great!! But anyway, back to the meal at hand. After the chicken has browned for  a few minutes, add in your carrot, celery, onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper and let it go for 7-8 minutes. Anytime you order wings out, you usually get some celery and carrot sticks to go along with it. That's what the celery and carrots are here for! While the veggies sweat out, toast your hamburger buns. Once the vegetables sweat out, add in your sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes. Pile your buffalo joes onto the buns and top them with the blue cheese crumbles and a couple slices of dill pickle. After making these, you will never make manwich again!

To finish off your potatoes, drain them and put them back into the hot pot. Add in the buttermilk, salt and pepper and mash them to your desired consistency. Fold in your chives, cheddar and bacon and you are ready to serve. These are fantastic and would make a nice side dish to several different casual meals!!

This one is definitely a winner. My friends have a lower heat tolerance than I do and when asked if they were too hot, my friend Dawn replied, "Nope...it's a good hot". Until next time, enjoy and happy cooking!!

Sloppy Buffalo Joes 

2 Tbs. EVOO
2 Lbs. ground chicken or turkey breast
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
2 Stalks celery, chopped
1 Yellow onion, finely chopped
2 - 3 Cloves garlic, grated
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
¼ - ⅓ C. hot sauce
1 C. tomato sauce
1 C. chicken stock
8 Good quality burger rolls, toasted
1 C. blue cheese crumbles
2 Large dill pickles, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet with EVOO over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with a wooden spoon, cook 5 - 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook 7 - 8 minutes more. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, and Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile sloppy buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

Mashed Potato Skins

6 Slices bacon
2 Lbs. small Yukon gold potatoes, halved
1 C. buttermilk
¼ C. fresh chives, chopped
½ C. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, yellow or white
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

 Preheat the oven to 350°.
 
Arrange the bacon on a sheet pan and bake for 12 - 15 minutes until crisp. Cool and chop.
 
Put potatoes in a medium sauce pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and season with salt. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash potatoes with buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives, cheddar and fold in bacon.