Dip, scoop and score with these game day recipes

Feb. 8—For some fans, the Super Bowl is all about football, the halftime show and all those commercials. But for the rest of us — no matter if it's at a home party or in a restaurant cheering on your favorite team — it's all about the food.

"It gets a little crazy around here during Super Bowl week," says Mark Dillon, part owner and kitchen manager at Bud's Sports Bar on Brainerd Road, game central for area Super Bowl fans with its 90-plus televisions.

No matter which teams are on the field, the biggest star of the game are the wings. No big surprise. Dillon readies his playing field weeks in advance, ordering chicken wings by the caseful in order to get the best price.

And on Super Bowl weekend, more than 1 ton of wings will be sold. The parking lot out back will be manned with fry cooks and big fryers for large takeout orders. And inside, wings fly out of the kitchen to the tables, along with chicken tenders and other pick-up foods, such as the fried mushrooms, potato skins and Goal Line Totchos — crispy tater tots smothered in creamy cheese topped with bacon and jalapenos.

Dillon does not profess to be a trained chef, though he's learned a thing or two from chefs who have manned the kitchen at Bud's in the past.

"I used to watch the Food Channel a lot, too," he says. "Thank God when that came out. And everybody has a recipe for something. And you can find a lot of recipes on the internet and put your own twist on them."

Buffalo sauce is one thing, though, that hasn't changed through the years. It's a once-you-ve-got-it-right-don't-change-it kind of thing.

"It's pretty much been the same formula for a long time," Dillon adds.

He's gotten the cooking process down to a science, too, baking the wings before a quick fry to crisp them up. Not only does this speed up the cooking and help to reduce the fat, the juices collected in the baking pan produce a delicious stock to use in other dishes.

After witnessing the wildness of Super Bowl weekend for the past few decades, Dillon knows what to expect. His playbook reads like a well-planned touchdown.

"It gets really busy on Super Bowl Sunday right up until about 5 o'clock. Then it slows down a bit for about 30 minutes, maybe 45. After that, people start eating again."

But does Dillon have time to join his patrons for a wing or two and a cold brew? Hardly.

"We might put a speaker box in the kitchen," he says.

Bud's recipe for wings and its sauces is a carefully guarded secret, but stuffed mushrooms, another favorite Super Bowl finger food, are simple, Dillon says — and delicious.

So dip, scoop and score with these gameday recipes to please most any crowd.

Bud's Stuffed Mushrooms

16 ounce medium portobello or white mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

Filling:

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

4 ounces claw or lump crab meat

4 ounces cream cheese softened

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Topping:

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking dish. Rinse whole mushrooms under cold water, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Carefully pop off the mushroom stems where they connect to the caps. Preheat a sauté pan and 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat.

Sauté diced bell pepper and diced onion until they start to caramelize. Press garlic into the onion/bell pepper mixture and sauté just until fragrant. Transfer cooked veggies into a mixing bowl.

Sift through the crab meat thoroughly with your fingers to make sure there are no pieces of shells accidentally left behind and add crab meat to the mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients for the filling to the mixing bowl and mix well until all combined.

Place mushroom caps in a slightly greased baking dish, cup-side up. Generously fill each cap with stuffing mixture, pressing down lightly with your finger to fill a little bit more. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese over the top of stuffed mushrooms. Bake stuffed mushrooms for about 20 minutes (about 25 for larger mushrooms).

Game Time Sliders

Make the roast a day ahead, then assemble the sliders before the game.

3-4 pounds chuck roast

1 stick butter

1 packet au jus seasoning

1 packet dry ranch seasoning mix

6 whole pepperoncini peppers

Sauce:

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Sandwiches:

1 package Sara Lee Artesano rolls (or your favorite slider rolls)

6 slices provolone cheese, cut in half to make 12 pieces

For the roast:

Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker. Top with butter, and sprinkle with au jus and ranch seasonings. Add peppers, if using. Cook on low for 6-9 hours or until roast is tender enough to shred. Remove large chunks of fat.

For sauce:

Combine all sauce ingredients, mixing well.

To make sliders:

Place the whole package of rolls into a baking pan that will fit the entire package as snugly as possible. Remove the top half of the rolls. Put a good-sized helping of the shredded roast onto the buns; cover each with a slice of provolone (see note); place tops of bun over cheese.

Combine all sauce ingredients and pour evenly over sliders. Cover baking pan with foil. At this point, the sliders may be placed in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

Place sliders, covered, in a 375-degree oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately or recover with foil and pack for tailgating. Keep warm on grill or other heating device. Makes 1 dozen sliders.

Note: Fold each half slice of cheese in half again and place on top of shredded meat. This will ensure you get enough cheese on each sandwich.

Tasty Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 egg, beaten

Sauce:

8 ounces Kraft Asian dressing

1 cup Catalina dressing

1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Golden Mustard barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Scoop mixture with a melon scooper and roll with hands into ball shape. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place meatballs on sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked throughout. Allow to cool and transfer to a slow cooker and smother with sauce. Simmer meatballs on low heat until ready to serve with toothpicks.

To make sauce:

Combine sauce ingredients in large bowl and pour over meatballs.

Note: The meatballs may also be placed in an aluminum pan, covered with foil and kept warm on the grill for tailgaters.

Tailgate Taters

Pop these in the oven and bake them until they're good and crispy, then wrap them in foil. You can always keep them warm on the grill or in the oven until ready to serve.

6 small to medium baking potatoes

Olive oil

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Buffalo sauce

2 cups shredded cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken is perfect

2 teaspoons ranch seasoning

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Sliced green onions

Chunky blue cheese dressing

Scrub and dry the potatoes. Pierce each one with a knife and rub each with oil.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake potatoes for 1 hour. Let cool until cool enough to handle. Cut each potato in half horizontally. Scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4 of an inch. Save pulp for another use.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat both sides of potatoes with oil. Lightly season both sides of potatoes with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake cut side down for 10 minutes. Flip over and bake 10 more minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, use a mixer to beat cream cheese and Buffalo sauce until smooth. Stir in chicken, ranch seasoning and cheese.

Divide mixture between potato skins. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. And keep warm until ready to serve with blue cheese dressing, extra Buffalo sauce and chopped green onions on the side so people can add their own toppings.