Father's Day Favorites
Here are some dishes sure to please Dad on Father’s Day.
Let us know if there is something you would like us to put in our column, or if you have a recipe to share, please submit to ads@thedrummer.com.
Grilled Breakfast Pizza
Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Prep Time: 35 min
Total Time: 45 min
1/4 c. olive oil
1 lb. refrigerated pizza dough, at room temp.
8 oz. bulk breakfast sausage
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 c. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed & squeezed dry
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
6 lg. eggs
Chopped fresh chives, for topping
Preheat a grill to medium high. Brush an upside-down sheet pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Shape the pizza dough into an 11-by-14-inch rectangle and place on the oiled side of the pan.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet on the grill. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into pieces and stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a plate. Add the bell peppers and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the hash browns, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the hash browns soften and start turning light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the hash brown-vegetable mixture to the plate with the sausage. Remove the skillet from the grill.
Carefully slide the dough off the pan and onto the grill. Cook, uncovered, until bubbles start to form on top and the bottom is marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a large spatula to flip the dough, marked-side up, onto the upside-down sheet pan.
Sprinkle the mozzarella all over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top evenly with the hash brown–vegetable mixture and sausage. With the back of a large spoon, make 6 small wells in the toppings and carefully crack an egg into each well. Slide the pizza off the pan and back onto the grill. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 12 minutes.
Remove the pizza to a cutting board. Season the eggs with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Garnish with chives.
Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks
Yield: 10 - 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 1 hr.
Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
For The Barbecue Sauce:
1 T. canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 c. ketchup
1/3 c. molasses
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1/4 c. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/4 c. distilled white vinegar (or slightly less to taste)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
For The Chicken:
Canola oil, for brushing
6 to 7 lbs. skin-on chicken drumsticks (about 24), patted dry
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
For The Sauce: Heat the canola oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, chipotles, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt and stir. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the sauce in a separate bowl for serving.
For The Chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 ̊. Brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with canola oil. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper. Divide between the baking sheets, without letting the pieces touch. Bake until the drumsticks are very tender and beginning to brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the drumsticks over and brush with about half the sauce. Return to the oven and bake until glazed, about 5 minutes. Turn the drumsticks again and brush with the remaining sauce. Bake until sticky and glazed, about 5 minutes more. Serve with the reserved sauce.
Cheeseburger Dip
Yield: 8 - 10 servings
Prep Time: 7 min
Total Time: 25 min
For The Dip:
1 T. vegetable oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) bag shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 c. thinly sliced lettuce, such as romaine
1/2 c. diced tomatoes
1/4 c. diced red onions
1/4 c. chopped dill pickles
For serving: Kettle cooked potato chips or pita chips
For The Special Sauce:
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 T. mustard
1-1/2 T. ketchup
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1 T. pickle brine (juice from the jar)
Preheat the oven to 375˚.
For the dip: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook, while breaking apart into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Spread the cream cheese to fill the bottom of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Top with 1/2 of the shredded cheese, the cooked ground beef, then the remaining shredded cheese on top. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the edges are bubbly. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
For the special sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, and pickle brine.
Top the dip with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle slices. Drizzle with special sauce. Serve with kettle-cooked potato chips or pita chips.
Three-Cheese Meatball Mostaccioli
Prep Time: 15 min.
Bake Time: 35 min.
Yield: 10 servings
1 pkg. (16 oz.) mostaccioli
2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
1 carton (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 jars (24 oz. ea.) pasta sauce with meat
1/2 c. grated Romano cheese
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen fully cooked Italian meatballs, thawed
3/4 c. shaved Parmesan cheese
Opt.: Torn fresh basil or fresh oregano leaves
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook mostaccioli according to package directions for al dente; drain. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix eggs and ricotta cheese.
In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook beef and onion 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain. Stir in brown sugar and seasonings. Add pasta sauce and mostaccioli; toss to combine.
Transfer half the pasta mixture to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with ricotta mixture and remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle with Romano cheese. Top with meatballs and Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until heated through. If desired, top with basil or oregano.
Lemon-Pepper Grilled Rib-Eyes
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 1 hour 25 min
Lemon-Pepper Seasoning:
3 T. freshly cracked black pepper
2 T. kosher salt
2 T. grated lemon zest, dried for 1 hr.
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. mustard powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. sugar
Steaks:
8 boneless rib-eye steaks (about 1” thick)
Kosher salt, to taste
1 stick salted butter, melted
For the lemon-pepper seasoning: Stir together the pepper, salt, lemon zest, garlic powder, mustard powder, onion powder and sugar in a small bowl.
For the steaks: Preheat a grill to medium high. Season the steaks lightly with salt and rub the lemon-pepper seasoning on both sides. Brush the steaks liberally with the melted butter.
Grill the steaks 1 minute 45 seconds, then rotate the steaks 90 degrees. Cook 2 minutes, then go ahead and flip the steak over to the other side. After 1 minute 45 seconds on the second side, rotate 90 degrees and finish cooking for 2 minutes, or until the steaks reach 115˚ to 120˚ on an instant-read thermometer (the steak will continue to cook slightly after you’ve removed it from the grill). This is medium rare. Remember, you can always throw a steak back on the grill if it’s too red for your taste but you can’t undo it if it’s overcooked.
Poblano-Potato Bundles
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min
2 lb. russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
1 lg. onion, roughly chopped
2 lg. poblano chile peppers, seeded & thinly sliced
1 stick salted butter, melted
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 T. paprika
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste
Preheat a grill to medium. Tear off eight 18-inch sheets of foil and fold each in half. Toss the potatoes, onion and poblanos in a large bowl with the melted butter, heavy cream, paprika, granulated garlic, parsley, salt and a generous amount of pepper.
Divide the potato mixture among the folded foil sheets, piling it in the center. Bring the edges of the foil together and tightly seal into packets. Grill, moving and turning the packets often to make sure they cook evenly, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
Chipotle Pasta Salad with Mozzarella
Yield:10 - 12 servings
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 40 min
1 lb. rotini or fusilli
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. whole milk
2 to 3 T. white vinegar
2 to 3 tsp. adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
Salt & black pepper, to taste
2 c. red and/or yellow grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise & chopped
12 oz. mozzarella (fresh or smoked), cut into small cubes
24 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain it, rinse it under cool water, and set it aside in a large bowl.
Combine the mayonnaise and milk in a medium bowl, then add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and stir until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Stir the dressing until combined. Give it a taste and add more vinegar if you’d like it to have a little bite. Add more adobo sauce if you’d like it to have a little more heat.
Drizzle the dressing over the pasta, throw in the tomatoes and cucumber, then add the cheese. Stir the pasta around, then add the basil and stir until it’s all combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Taste and season again before serving.
Peach Crumb Bars
Prep Time: 30 min.
Bake Time: 40 min. + cooling
Yield: 2 doz.
3 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c. sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash ground cinnamon
1 c. shortening
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
9 med. peaches, peeled & chopped
1 tsp. almond extract
4 tsp. cornstarch
Preheat oven to 375°. Whisk flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; cut in shortening until crumbly. In another bowl, whisk egg and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork until crumbly.
Reserve 2-1/2 cups crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan.
Toss peaches with almond extract. In another bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining sugar; add to peaches and toss to coat. Spread over crust; sprinkle with reserved topping.
Bake until lightly browned and filling is bubbly, 40-45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
Prep Time: 15 min. + chilling
Yield: 4 doz.
1 pkg. (16 oz.) miniature pretzels
1-1/2 c. butter, melted
1-1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 T. shortening
Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with foil, letting ends extend up sides. Set aside 1-1/2 cups pretzels for topping. In a food processor, pulse remaining pretzels until fine crumbs form. In a large bowl, mix butter, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, and pretzel crumbs.
Press into prepared pan. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer. Break reserved pretzels and sprinkle over top; press down gently. Refrigerate, covered, until set, about 1 hour. Lifting with foil, remove from pan. Cut into bars.
Quote of the Week:
“We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty.”
- George Washington
