Enjoy breakfast tailgating
Delicious recipes to helpyouplan ahead andkeep it simple.
A few years ago, I was in Minneapolis tailgating with friends for the University of Minnesota’s homecoming gameagainst Northwestern. We got to the parking lot around 8:30 in the morning, to party before the 11 a.m. kickoff. Our host, Chad Jaeger, started the festivities with a hearty breakfast chili — rich and creamy, itwas packed with crumbled bacon and sausage, beans, cheddarcheeseand diced egg. Itwas theperfectway to warm up a bunch of Gopher fans on a chilly, 45-degree morning.
For those of uswho love to tailgate, thisisonepartythat’sasmuch about the food as it is about the actual game. And while it may be easy to fortify the gang before an afternoon or evening game, how do you plan around an early kickoff? Because not everyone’s ready to tackle a cheeseburger or a rack of ribs first thing in the morning.
And why should they? If anything, breakfast or brunch tailgates should reallybecomea thing. At many restaurants, breakfast is the most popularmeal of the day, and brunch itself has become the muse of many a chef. There’s no reason we can’t riff on some of those dishes for our pre-game festivities— particularly for those of us on theWest Coastwho frequently suffer through early games to satisfy East Coast programmingbias. Nothing will set a sleepy tailgater’s circadian rhythmright faster than a filling breakfast and beverage to match.
That breakfast chili is easy enough to make, and one I frequently turn towhen I’m planning an early tailgate: Simply combine the ingredients in a portable slow cooker over low heat, so the flavors have time to come together thenightbefore. Ongameday, plug the cooker into a car adapter to keep the chili warm on the way to the stadium. Once your tailgate is set up, put the chili outwith crackers, extra greenonions, shredded cheeseandhotsaucesoyourguests can customize to taste.
Breakfast chili not your thing? Get creative. Try cooking shakshuka on the grill — the spiced pepper, onion and egg dish is an easy choice if you’re cooking outdoors. Assemble a stack of croque-madame sandwiches — bread layered with plenty of hamand cheese — then dip them to order in egg and brown them with plenty of butter on a griddle until the cheese just begins to ooze. It’s like a grilled cheese on steroids. A friend once made a pot of congee for an early tailgate, served with a variety of toppings.
For those guests with a sweet
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