It’s that time of year. . . The coming weekends are filled with Super Bowls of food and entertainment, plus a long list of shows to watch because it’s too cold to go out (and, hey, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic). We can agree to disagree on who should win a prize or championship, as well as which series to watch next on Netlfix. But we can all agree on that: food is necessary to fuel these wild adventures on our sofas. The Salon Food team has already shared 11 Instant Pot recipes ready for the Super Bowl (or any TV event). Now, we have made a main list of our favorite appetizers, which are guaranteed to feed any binge eating occasion.
Bob Armstrong Chile con Queso: No trip to Austin is complete without a stop at Matt’s El Rancho for the legendary queso. According to Rick Martinez, he was “named after former Texas land commissioner Bob Armstrong, who once asked them to do ‘something different’ for him. The result was a now legendary layered taco dip , queso, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. “Fortunately, Rick has developed a copy recipe so that fans of the dear queso can enjoy it without leaving home. This is particularly good for this Manhattan resident, because New York is a queso dessert. – Joseph Neese, editor in chief
Buffalo Chicken Sauce (and All Things): Both hot and cold sauces are unbeatable for me, regardless of seasonality and / or the game that may or may not be on TV. Any combination of cream cheese, crispy bacon, lots of alliums, some kind of foliage and large amounts of cheese (favorites are super sharp cheddar, parmesan or pecorino and even fontina or gruyere) is always welcome – and you can’t forget a pile of spring onions. I love raw carrots, pita chips, torn pieces of baguette, thick fries and raw celery for dipping. I’m not a fan of heat, but I always appreciate a good buffalo chicken sauce. – Michael La Corte, beauty salon food contributor
Buffalo Latkes: I am not Jewish, nor am I really a football fan, but when I saw Sara Tane’s recipe for Buffalo Latkes, I knew I would have to save this recipe for the Super Bowl. She takes Hanukkah’s crunchy and starchy basics and adapts it for game day with thinly sliced jalapeno and Frank’s Red Hot nail polish. Instead of sour cream or apple sauce, the sauce of the day is a homemade, creamy, funky blue cheese sauce. – Ashlie D. Stevens, team writer
Charcuterie Board: This is kind of a cheat, but I like to buy a cheese kit at Costco. You know, the guy with a few pieces of cheese for, what, 20 bucks? So I’m going to get some salami, a packet of dates – your fresh dates are the BEST – and some types of nuts and cookies. And, look, I suddenly have the fixings for a plate! Everything I have at home is added – maybe some mustards, why not some olives. Any leftovers go to the fridge for a few days of ready-made snacks. – Dana McMahan, beauty salon food contributor
Hot corn sauce: I found Trisha Yearwood’s hot corn sauce while scouring Pinterest in its early days, looking for a hot meatless appetizer to complete a party menu. I knew her as a country star and had no idea that she had her own show on the Food Network, but I figured that Trisha Yearwood would not misbehave. (She has her God and she has good wine / Aretha Franklin and Patsy Cline … and hot corn sauce?) I did it once, and now my friends demand for any festive occasion where heavy milk sauces are served. If you are lactose intolerant or philosophically opposed to canned “Mexican corn”, you will not like this sauce. I could suggest five ways to imagine it, but that would go against the point. This is an unpretentious appetizer that anyone who knows how to cook an oven can prepare. It is aggressively corn-colored. People can be skeptical. But believe me: if you do it once, you may end up having to do it for the rest of your life – or at least until all your friends become vegan. – Erin Keane, editor in chief
Samin Nosrat Sauces: If you, like me, always forget to plan your snacks until the last minute (and don’t have time for anything elaborate), a quick way to impress are some homemade sauces. They can go with dumplings, vegetable platters, pitas, chips or cookies. Along with the perennial hummus, I like Samin Nosrat’s sauce recipes in The NYT Cooking vertical. Herbal yogurt goes well with kebabs, raw vegetables and even French fries. Soy sauce plus a bag of steamed dumplings from the frozen food section looks sophisticated and takes about 10 minutes to make. In addition, you can always do this queso beer recipe, courtesy of me if you really want people to eat. – Amanda Marcotte, senior policy writer
Rotel and Velveeta Famous Queso Dip: I learned very early in my days of giving children’s parties that the most excited guests with the most junk food are always adults. Of course, I could make real queso with good cheese and fresh tomatoes. But if you want to see people’s eyes shine with nostalgic joy, you can’t beat the exaggerated American classic made from just two ingredients – and they are very specific. I like to stick it in the Crock Pot mini and leave the job in the kitchen next to a bowl of tortilla chips. It is also a big hit with pretzel logs. – MaryElizabeth Williams, Community Director