Chicago is it's own food destination, but the rest of the state has one recipe to call its own. The horseshoe.
The the original concoction consisted of thick toast, ham, french fries all covered in a cheese sauce similar to that of the Depression era delicacy the rarebit.
Today a version of it is served in greasy spoons and diners throughout Illinois most notably Springfield and Handonfield. They all have the same elements of toast on the bottom, some kind of bargain meat in the middle, topped with potatoes and a cheese sauce. The meat can range from ground beef, bacon, chicken and the potatoes are sadly usually frozen french fries, with the sauce being of some kind of nuclear orange plastic product.
My version is a might bit better.
Here is the scene that inspired the recipe!
I developed the recipe when I was a cook at The Rabbit in Red Lounge. The food scene at the local bar was nothing short of a calamity on a good day, with frozen tater-tots and chips in a bag being some of the better options. I elevated the grub in my time there, and I'm proud of that.
Now usually the horseshoe is a single serving affair served as an over-sized open-faced sandwich meant for one person with an appetite or two with less of a belly to wash. Well when you come to a bar you want to socialize and nothing starts the old gob box going more than some good vittles to share. So I immediately thought of nachos, the perfect bar food and I went from there.
First off I took me some of that rich ground pork from the Tower Farm operation, and browned it with my special taco seasoning and some fresh corn cut straight from the cob. The taste of innocence always makes the meat taste better and I'd been feeding those hogs victims for months. An elderly person here. A drifter there. That one girl who left for California and was never seen again. Yes sirree bob that meat was mighty rich by this point.
Then I roasted some Kale in the oven, turning them into chips, and some sweet potatoes and carrots too.
I thought of the salsa. As we all know every plate of nachos has a salsa and the delicious condiment always has a citrus note, lime or lemon. In Cuba salsa is flavored with orange and I thought that would go better with the sweet root vegetables.
I built the sandwich...
First, with thick Texas Toast broiled in the oven with butter...
Followed by the ground pork seasoned to perfection and given some texture with some locally grown corn on the cob...
The sweet potatoes and carrots, came next. I Roasted them with sugar, salt, pepper and sage...
Then I slathered it all in some sweet and spicy Cuban salsa...
And topped it with crispy very salty kale chips and Parmesan cheese...
It is a dish made for sharing. Enjoy!
Haddonfield Horseshoe
Yield: 4-6
Active time (prep and cook): 1 Hour
Horseshoe
4 tsp Land O Lakes Butter with Olive Oil and Sea Salt Spread
4 pieces of Texas Toast
1 entire recipe of Ground Pork Topping
1 entire recipe of Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
1 cup Cuban Style Salsa
1 entire recipe of Kale Chips
Parmesan Cheese
Kale Chips
Pam Coconut Oil Spray
3/4 bunch Kale
Salt
Taco Seasoning Blend
3 Bay Leaves
2 dried Chili de Arbol
1 dried New Mexico Chili
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Salt
½ tbsp Mexican Oregano
½ tbsp Rubbed Sage
½ tbsp Allspice Berries
½ tbsp Black Peppercorns
1 tsp Whole Cloves
Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
Pam Coconut Oil Spray
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Medium Carrots
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
½ tsp Rubbed Sage
Ground Pork Topping
1 tbsp Butter
1 lb Ground Pork
3 ears of Corn, Husked Washed and Cut Off the Cob
3 tbsp Homemade Cuban Style Taco Seasoning Blend
2/3 cup Water
Cuban Style Salsa
8 Roma Tomatoes
Juice from 4 Oranges
2 small handfuls of Cilantro
1 7 oz can of Whole Chipotles Chilies in Adobo Sauce
1 packet Goya Sazon Seasoning
1 heaping tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Rubbed Sage
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Directions
Kale Chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rip the leaves of the kale from the stems and place onto a 9x12 baking sheet.
3. Spray kale with the Pam.
4. Season liberally with salt.
5. Cook for 15 minutes or until Kale is crispy like potato chips.
6. While cooking make the Cuban Style Taco Seasoning.
7. Set aside.
Taco Seasoning
1. Put all ingredients into a coffee grinder and grind until it is a fine powder.
2. Set aside.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
1. Set oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and carrots and place on a 12x16 baking sheet.
4. Spray potatoes and carrots with the Pam.
5. In a small bowl mix together the seasonings .
6. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Make the Cuban Style Salsa.
8. Take out of the oven and flip over the vegetables with a spatula. Roast for another 10 minutes.
9. Make the Ground Pork Topping
Cuban Style Salsa
1. Put all ingredients in the blender on medium speed until will blended.
Ground Pork Topping
1. Brown the ground pork in the butter with the corn on medium high heat in an electric skillet.
2. Add the taco seasoning and water.
3. Cover and turn the heat to medium low.
4. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Horseshoe
1. Spread the Texas toast with the butter olive oil spread.
2. Broil in the oven for 2-8 minutes to desired done-ness.
3. Place the toast on a large plate.
4. Top with the Ground Pork Topping
5. Top with the Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
6, Pour the Cuban Style Salsa on top
7. Top with the Kale Chips
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Additional Information
You may want to remove the seeds to the chilies when making the salsa. I prefer the heat, but use your own discretion.
This is messy and meant to share.
Of course ground beef could be used in this recipe, or ground turkey, even ground chicken or chicken breast. Use what works well for you!
Yes you can just use the sweet potatoes if the carrot thing is strange to you.
My broiler is not very strong. I cooked it 6 minutes and it had a nice toasty texture I like. Broilers vary even more than ovens do. Check after 2 minutes and check every 2 minutes after that.
Salt the kale chips to taste of course, but I prefer them to be almost overwhelmingly salty. That way it blends very well with the sweetness of the sweet potato, heat of the salsa, and savory notes of the meat. Think very salty deli potato chips when making kale chips.
I like the Land O Lakes spread for the toast. It goes on easy and has a light flavor. Butter can work, margarine, or even my good old friend Pam. I prefer the spread.
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