Steelers Game Day Grub: Hot Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers will renew their recently possibly more competitive rivalry with the Cleveland Browns this Sunday and there’s one thing that’s certain; you’re going to get hungry for the game. Now I’m going to be honest, I have no idea what regional delicacies Cleveland is known for because that seems like something that doesn’t exist anyway so when thinking of what tasty treats to make for the game I’m certainly not thinking “Cleveland food”.

So what sounds good? Bacon. Bacon sounds good with anything. So here are some Hot Browns you can feast on while the Steelers are feasting on the Browns on Sunday. Hot Browns are traditionally a Kentucky dish, but we’ll take it just for the name this week. It’s basically an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon, tomatoes and a cheese sauce. What’s not to like?

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Here’s what you’ll need:

• At least 8 slices of good, sour-dough bread, toasted
• 8 slices of thick-cut bacon
• Your favorite turkey lunchmeat
• A tomato (sliced)
• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS flour
• 1 cup milk or half & half
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
• Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste

Aside from making the cheese sauce, it’s really just assembly and once it’s all golden and bubbly from the oven you’ll be glad you labored over the sauce to create this bacony, cheesy masterpiece. To make the sauce you’re going to melt the butter in a small saucepan and then add the flour. You’re making a roux now and you should feel fancy doing it. Cook the butter and flour till it smells a little like popcorn so you know the flour has cooked. Then get a whisk out and whisk in the milk. It’s going to look like it’s not going to mix well at first, don’t panic, it’s going to be fine if you just keep stirring it. Once it’s all thick and creamy looking, add your salt & pepper and Worcestershire sauce and then dump in your cheese while stirring to melt. I put measurements for the cheese in there but honestly, whatever you do in the privacy of your own home with cheese is nobody’s business. You add as much cheese as you want. More cheese never hurt anything.

Hot Browns!

Oh, while you’re doing this, you’re going to want to cook the bacon. I recommend laying the slices on a sheet pan and throwing them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. That’s really the best way to cook bacon. They rarely curl up and they cook evenly and never splatter on you creating awful bacon burns.  Bacon in the oven, you’ll thank me later.

Once your cheese sauce is ready, your bacon is cooked, and your slices of bread are toasted it’s time to assemble. Preheat your oven to like 375 and grab a rectangle baking dish and spray that sucker with some cooking spray so you can scoop these guys out when they’re cooked. Put the slices of bread on the bottom, cover with the turkey lunchmeat, slices of bacon and slices of tomatoes. Then pour that delicious cheese sauce all over the top. Sprinkle more cheese on top if you’re feeling adventurous. Throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes so the top is browned and bubbly. Hot Browny, if you will. Divvy them up on plates for you and your guests. You’ll need a knife and fork for these sandwiches, they’re fancy.

Enjoy the game and the grub!

Here we go Steelers! Here we go!