The Saucy Southern Mama and a Giveaway!

Have you ever had fried potato salad?

I never had before, but let me tell you, it's the perfect addition to this burger! I made a standard potato salad, added Champagne Honey Mustard to the dressing, rolled it in panko and deep fried it! It's creamy and cool on the inside and super crunchy on the outside. Along with the fried potato salad patties, this burger has spicy sweet candied bacon, a sweet heat honey mustard spread, baby arugula salad and a sweet heat burger patty all piled on a brioche bun. You will be full for the rest of the day after this one. I promise!

This is my second entry for the Saucy Mama Blogger Challenge and I'm hoping that one of my entries will win me a spot to compete in the World Food Championships this November. 

If you'd like to get your hands on some of these delicious Saucy Mama products yourself, you're in luck! One lucky reader will get their choice of 3 Saucy Mama Products! (rules at bottom of post) All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me which products you would want if you win. For an extra entry, share this post on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did that. Good luck!

The Saucy Southern Mama

Fried Potato Salad Patty

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, boiled, cooled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

2 hard boiled eggs, diced

4 Tablespoons minced celery

4 Tablespoons minced red onion

2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup Saucy MamaChampagne Honey Mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning blend

3 Tablespoons flour

1 egg

2 Tablespoons water

1 cup panko bread crumbs

6 cups vegetable oil

 

Bacon

12 slices bacon

3 Tablespoons SaucyMama Champagne Honey Mustard

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sweet Heat Spread

1/3 cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons SaucyMama Champagne Honey Mustard

1/8 cup Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade

Burger Patties

1 pound ground chuck

½ pound ground sirloin

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

5 Tablespoons SaucyMama Sweet Heat Marinade, divided

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

6 Brioche Buns

Arugula Salad

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon SaucyMama Champagne Honey Mustard

1 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups baby arugula leaves

To make the potato salad patties, in a large mixing bowl combine the potatoes, eggs, celery, red onion, relish, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, Champagne Honey Mustard, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning. Stir together until well combined and, using a potato masher, mash slightly until well blended. Using a large ice cream scoop, portion 6 patties onto a small foil lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes or until patties are well chilled and firm enough to handle. To set up the breading station, pour the remaining 1 teaspoon of the cajun seasoning and the flour into a small pie plate and whisk it together. Whisk together the eggs and water in another pie plate and the panko in a third plate. Set aside for later use. Place the vegetable oil in an electric fryer or a large sauce pot fitted with a candy thermometer and bring the oil up to 375 degrees over medium high heat.  While the oil is coming up to temperature and the patties are setting in the freezer, start on the remaining components. 

To make the bacon: Place a cooling rack in a large rimmed cookie sheet and lay the bacon across it. Place the cookie sheet in a cold oven, and set the temperature to 375 degrees. Cook the bacon for 15 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and flip bacon pieces over. Brush bacon with the Champagne Honey Mustard and then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cayenne. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until bacon is crisp and sugar has melted.

To make the Sweet Heat Spread whisk together the mayonnaise, Champagne Honey Mustard and Sweet Heat Marinade in a small bowl.

Remove the tray of the patties from the freezer, and handling them carefully, dredge first in the flour, then egg mixture and finally in the panko mixture. Place the breaded patties in the hot oil carefully and fry for 3-5 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Remove the patties from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined tray.

To make the Burger Patties, add the ground chuck, ground sirloin, garlic, salt and 2 Tablespoons of the Saucy Mama Sweet Heat Marinade to a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended, handling as little as possible to avoid overworking. Shape into 6 patties to fit the bun size. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning only once, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, brush the patties with the remaining 3 Tablespoons Sweet Heat Marinade. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, place the buns cut side down on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly, watching very closely to avoid burning.

 For the arugula salad, whisk together the olive oil, Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl. Gently toss the arugula leaves in the dressing and set aside.

To assemble the burgers, spread each side of the buns with sweet heat spread. Top each bun bottom with an even amount of the arugula salad. Place a burger patty on top of that and then top with two pieces of bacon. Place a potato salad patty on top of the bacon slices and the top half of the toasted bun. Serve immediately with lots of napkins!

For the contest: Winner will be selected using random.org on June 3. Winner is allowed to choose 3 products (except olives) of their choice.
Congratulations Susan Christy! You are the winner of the giveaway!!

The Saucy Senorita

Let me introduce you to The Saucy Senorita. I created this beauty for a contest in the hopes of winning a spot to compete in The World Food Championship cook-off in November. The lovely people at Saucy Mama sent me a box of their delicious mustards, dressings and marinades to work with and I had so much fun using them in my entries! My first submission uses three of their products in a burger that has Southern and Mexican flair!

Fried Green Tomatillos, Chipotle Mustard Brown Sugar Bacon, Poblano Ranch Spread and Lime Chipotle Burger Patties are sandwiched between buttery soft Brioche Buns for a sweet and spicy burger that I hope will knock the judges sombreros off!

Be sure to come back Wednesday to check out my second submission and to enter a giveaway to win some of these sauces for yourself!

The Saucy Senorita

Bacon

8 slices bacon

¼ cup Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Poblano Ranch Spread

1 cup packed cilantro

¼ cup crumbled Cotija cheese

½ cup Saucy Mama Poblano Ranch Dressing

Fried Green Tomatillos

4 cups vegetable oil

½ cup all-purpose flour 

1/8 cup masa

1/2 cup beer

2 Tablespoons Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade

3 large tomatillos, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds

½ teaspoon salt

Burger Patties

1 pound ground chuck

½ pound ground sirloin

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

½ cup Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 Brioche Buns

Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat.

To make the bacon, place a cooling rack in a foil-lined large rimmed cookie sheet and lay the bacon across it. Place the cookie sheet in a cold oven, and set the temperature to 375 degrees. Cook the bacon for 15 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and flip bacon pieces over. Brush bacon with Chipotle Mustard, and then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until bacon is crisp and sugar has melted.

To make the Poblano Ranch Spread, place the cilantro, Cotija cheese and Poblano Ranch Dressing in a mini food processor and process until smooth. Set in the fridge to chill.

To make the Fried Green Tomatillos, place the vegetable oil in an electric fryer or a large sauce pot fitted with a candy thermometer and bring the oil up to 360 degrees over medium-high heat. In a small mixing bowl, place 2 Tablespoons of the flour. In another small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, masa, beer and Chipotle Marinade. Dredge the tomatillo slices in the flour, then batter mixture and carefully place in the hot oil to fry for 3-5 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined tray. Sprinkle with salt. 

To make the Burger Patties, add the ground chuck, ground sirloin, garlic, salt and half of the Lime Chipotle Marinade into a large mixing bowl. Mix until well blended, handling as little as possible to avoid overworking. Shape into 4 patties to fit the bun size. Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning only once, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, brush the patties with the remaining Lime Chipotle Marinade. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, place the buns cut side down on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly, watching very closely to avoid burning.

To assemble the burgers, spread each bun top and bottom with Poblano Ranch Spread. Place a burger patty on top of each bun bottom and then top with two pieces of bacon. Place fried green tomatillo slices on top of the bacon and then the top half of the toasted bun. Serve immediately with lots of napkins!

Chipotle Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks

My last entry for the Del Real Blogger Recipe Contest is my Tex-Mex spin on a Philly Cheesesteak. These melty sandwiches come together in 20 minutes and didn't last much longer than that once I served them. 

Shredded Chipotle Chicken is layered with sauteed onions and peppers, topped with melty cheese and served in a crusty bun. 

Chipotle Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 poblano pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds and stem removed and sliced

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced

¼ teaspoon salt

1 package (16 ounce) Del Real Foods Chipotle Chicken Tinga

4 bakery bolillo rolls, split in half

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Add the oil, poblano, onion and salt to a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over high heat. Sauté, stirring frequently until charred and softened, about 5-7 minutes.

While the pepper mixture is cooking, prepare the chicken according to the package directions.

Place the rolls on a large cookie sheet and place in the oven to warm, about 3-5 minutes.

To assemble the sandwiches, divide the sautéed vegetables, Chicken Tinga, and cheese evenly between the 4 rolls. Place the tray back in the oven until all the cheese is melted, about 3-5 minutes. Remove sandwiches from the oven, sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

Del Real is also awarding a ‘Top Voted Recipe’ prize. The voting page is now active and individuals may vote for one recipe, per day and must have a Facebook account in order for the vote to validate. If you'd like to take a moment and help me win the title of "Top Voted" I'd be so appreciative! Here's the LINK

Pee Paw's Sticky Chicken Pot

This past weekend was insane. 

I hurt my arm (the right one, of course) the weekend before, was in a plaster splint that went from the middle of my fingers all the way up to my shoulder and I quickly figured out I'm not very good as a lefty. I was freaking out since I was already scheduled to host 45 people at my house for Louis' office party on Saturday, so my parents drove 9 hours from Louisiana to help out. My mom had already told me that she was bringing my grandpa's cast iron pot with her for me to have. She put it in the garage since it was packed in a box with newspaper, and being so busy trying to host such a big event at my house with one arm, it sat in the garage until yesterday.

I unwrapped it and took it inside so I could start the process of re-seasoning it since it hasn't been used in years.

The kids got home from school in the afternoon, and as Marshall was unpacking his school bag he saw it, walked over to it and asked "what's this?"

I said "do you remember Great Pee Paw and Great Grammy? This was their pot and now Nana gave it to me to have"

Marshall replied "well, that's nice....... because even when you're not using it, it can be your memories"

That kid. He gets it.

Sometimes my kids drive me to the brink of insanity and other days they say things that stop me in my tracks and all you can do is grab them and hug them so tight they complain.

I know some people hate cooking.
To them it's a chore and it makes a mess and it's not worth the hassle. 

But to me, that's it.
That's what it's always been about.