Pre-Game Food Prep: Ultimate Dishes for Super Bowl Watching

For many Americans, the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday should be considered a national holiday. However, unlike Memorial Day, Labor Day or Columbus Day, the Monday after Super Sunday has no patriotic theme, no day of reflection and certainly no parades. 

What it does provide is a groggy workforce, complete with hangovers and full bellies. Football, for some, is merely an afterthought as the Super Bowl has evolved beyond good football. It is a day of excess: Too much food, too much beer and way too much money spent on advertising. It is the one day of the year when Americans say to themselves, “Let’s overdo it – BIG!” 

From a culinary standpoint, I was hoping the Patriots and the Bears would make it in, as I love both New England clam chowder and the varieties of Polish sausage that come out of Chicago.  A Baltimore win would have made my mouth water with a shrimp boil and crabcakes. Even a Jets win would have yielded some fabulous ideas for a true, New York-style deli spread. But Green Bay and Pittsburgh?  Herewith, their cuisines:

When In the Iron City…

Perhaps the reason why Pittsburgh is named the Iron City is not due to the steel industry, but to the residents’ ability to handle their gastronomic choices. There are two sandwiches that every Pittsburgher loves: The Turkey Devonshire Sandwich, and Primanti’s Sandwich.

The Turkey Devonshire was born in 1934, in the Shadyside neighborhood by restaurateur, Mr. Frank Blandi. Although Mr. Blandi is long gone, the Devonshire lives on in restaurants throughout the region. Transplanted Pittsburghers dream about these hearty sandwiches. While we in Stamford love a good turkey sub, the Devonshire goes a bit overboard. 

It begins with a piece of toast, crusts trimmed, placed in an oven-proof dish. Next, three or four pieces of crisp bacon, followed by several slices of turkey breast. This gets covered in a thick cream sauce, comprised of butter, flour, cheese and milk.  Finally, dot the dish with butter and sprinkle parmesan and paprika over all.  After it gets baked, enjoy it hot right out of the oven.

Another not-so-light meal is the Primanti “Almost Famous” sandwich. According to Primanti Bros., a restaurant chain with 17 locations in the Pittsburgh area, their story begins in the 1930s in the Strip District. Joe Primanti, along with his brothers Dick and Stanley, would sell sandwiches out of his food cart. 

According to family lore, a man drove up with a sack of potatoes one winter day.  The cook (Joe’s nephew, John) fried them up on the grill.  Instead of serving them alongside the sandwich, John placed them inside the sandwich. The customers liked their fries in the sandwich, the owners liked to please the customers, thus a tradition was born.

The Primanti can be made with anything:  pastrami, beef, turkey, even eggs. But if you’re from Pittsburgh, chances are you’ll order it with Kolbassi — that’s Pittsburgh-speak for Kielbasa. The sandwich is formed by placing the meat on a thick slice of bread, then topping it with cole slaw, tomatoes, and of course, the fried potatoes. Another piece of bread on top, and you’ve got your Primanti Bros. “Almost Famous” Sandwich.

If You’re a Cheesehead…

We all know that Green Bay, and Wisconsin in general, is synonymous with cheese.  You probably know that Wisconsin produces more milk than any other state. And if you are partial to motorcycles, then you’re definitely aware that Milwaukee is home to Harley Davidson. But what you may not have heard is that Wisconsinites are crazy about bratwursts.

About 60 miles south of Green Bay is Sheboygan, known as the Bratwurst Capital of the World. On the first Saturday in August each year, the city on Lake Michigan opens its parks to the Sheboygan Bratwurst Festival.  The residents have their German ancestors to thank for this, who brought their old world recipes with them when they settled in the area in the 19th century. Since 1953, Sheboygan has been holding the festival, which includes a parade, a flea market, and thousands and thousands of brats.

Wisconsinites are very loyal to their brands and cooking methods. Some folks only eat Sheboygan Bratwurst Company brats; others swear by Johnsonville. While one person may only eat brats on the grill, his neighbor may choose to simmer them (never boil!) in a mixture of beer and water. 

Condiments vary for the brats.   Wisconsinite can sense a novice if he or she asks for sauerkraut. Most people agree that the best way to enjoy a brat is with pickles, onions and mustard.  Also, while brat-lovers outside of Wisconsin will eat their sausages on a hot dog roll, the purists all eat them on hard rolls. 

Back in Connecticut…

With the recipe below, you can recreate the Turkey Devonshire sandwich. If you’d like to serve the Primanti’s, just make sure you buy enough fries and cole slaw.  Your guests can build their own sandwiches if they’d like, or you can take the time to make them yourself (but keep in mind you’ll be doing a ton of prep work during the party).

Enjoy the game!

Frank Blandi's Original Devonshire Sandwich

 Serves 6

(adapted from Post-Gazette.com)

Cream Sauce:

6 T butter
1 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups hot milk
4 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in deep pan and add flour, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and then hot milk, stirring all the while. Add cheese and salt. Bring to boil, then cook slowly for 20 minutes, still stirring. Cool to lukewarm. Beat with wire whip until smooth before using.

For the sandwiches:

Preheat oven to 450°

6 slices toast, crusts trimmed off
18 slices crisp bacon
1 pound thinly sliced turkey breast
melted butter
Cream Sauce
Parmesan cheese
paprika

In individual oven-proof dishes (disposable aluminum pie plates work well) place one slice of toast and top with three slices of bacon. Add five slices of turkey. Cover completely with cream sauce. Pour a little melted butter, then sprinkle with the combined Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Simmered Brats

Grilled brats are favorable, but with all of our snow, your grill might not be up and running. Simmered brats, therefore, are the way to go. It is important to never boil a brat, as the casings will burst and you’ll end up with a big pot of watery, sausagey mess. Simmer the brats in a 50/50 combination of water and your favorite beer, and throw in some chopped onions. Simmer the brats on low heat for 25 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and set aside. Serve the brats on hard rolls with the simmered onions, pickles and grainy mustard.

I would like to thank Jamie and Chuck Gehman, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA, and the Reinke family of Osh Kosh, WI,  for their invaluable contributions to this story.