Houston Texans - Sliders

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Texas is a great place, with wonderful BBQ, people, football, music, and history. They claim to have invented the hamburger, so I thought it would be appropriate to feature hamburgers on the stuffed potatoes!

Potato

Chilled steamed potatoes have a very low Glycemic Index, loaded with resistant starch. That makes them an excellent choice for a healthy snack. I find the traditional potato skin much too big, and too filling (but delicious) to allow eating anything else from the table. So I use a smaller, 2-3 bite waxy potato such as red or yukon, steam them, then allow them to chill in the refrigerator overnight.

I cut them in half, then scoop them out with a tablespoon or teaspoon, leaving about 1/4” of potato to give support. Since hamburgers were probably invented in Athens, close to Houston, I decided to make these hamburger potatoes! First put a pinch of cheddar cheese in the potato, broil for a few minutes, then add some caramelized onions, (thin sliced, and saute until brown) and a small hamburger patty. (about 1 Tablespoon) Top with a bit more cheddar cheese, broil for a moment. Then, if desired, add sliced cherry tomato, or thin piece of avocado. Delicious!!

WINGS roast at 425°F for about 30 minutes

Wings are notoriously high calorie due to the deep fries nature of the traditional wing. Here, I dry them, put a bit of oil and seasoning on them, and then roast at a high temperature. This results in a very crispy, flavor intense, lower calorie treat that is relatively healthy. It is not just the roasting that makes it healthy, though, but also the fat that is in the chicken skin contains loads of mono unsaturated fats, and the dark meat has healthy fats and nutrients as well. While not exactly a health food like kale, it certainly does not deserve to be demeaned as one of the most unhealthy foods ever.

So, cut the tips off the wings, cut into two sections, dry off with a paper towel, then put them all in a bowl with enough oil to lightly coat them. Use avocado oil if possible, as it retains it’s healthy benefits at high temperatures.

Dump your dry seasoning in, and then rub the oil and seasonings into the wings until well coated. Place wings on an oven safe cooling rack. This allows the excess fat to drain off, making them even more crisp and healthy. Place rack into a foil lined baking pan, and roast for about 30 minutes. Be sure they are done, use a thermometer to check for temperature-175°F for safest temp. If not brown enough, or for best results, turn broiler on high and broil the wings for about 5 minutes, watching closely until they are to your liking.

Seasonings for the wings might be, of course, asian rubs, a BBQ rub for ribs or chicken would be great, since Texas is an awesome BBQ place. I like the amazingribs.com site for everything BBQ. I am not from BBQ country, so that is about as close as I can get. Delicious!!!!

SLIDERS!!! aka mini hamburgers

Everyone knows that sliders, wings, guacamole, chips, and favorite beverages are required at a football game. Even though I made the potatoes into sort of a hamburger, and they are delicious, by the way, the sliders are quite different. I ate one that was terrific, then decided I would eat another one with extra ingredients. Although good, I think the simple slider was better! Hamburgers can get very complicated, and there is much to be said for eating one that is simple, with high quality ingredients.

Ingredients

Hamburger, 93% lean 2-3 Tbs per patty, then cooked.

caramelized onions

cheddar cheese

small buns, potato rolls, hawaiian king bread, sourdough, etc.

avocado slices

sliced large cherry tomatoes

lettuce

Use the ingredients you want. I put shredded cheese on the bun, put it under the broiler for a few minutes, then put on caramelized onions and the hamburger patty. Simple, perfect, yummy.

Enjoy and live-nimble.!!

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