6ix Side Sliders

• 1 1/2 Lbs Ground Beef
• 1 1/2 Lbs Canadian Bacon (Peameal)
• 2 C grated Maple Cheddar
• 4 Slider Buns (Potato OR Brioche Buns)
• 2 Tbsp melted Unsalted Butter
• Kosher Salt for seasoning
• freshly ground Black Peppercorns for seasoning

Form ground beef into 24 equal sized 1 oz balls, then smash between your palms to form 24 thin patties.  Place on a clean tray and refrigerate till game time.  

Cut peameal bacon into 24 even sized slices then place on a tray and refrigerate till it’s time to put it all together.  

Preheat a cast iron pan on medium high heat.  Cut slider buns in half and brush each flat surface with butter.  Place on preheated pan until browned on flat sides, set aside.  

In the same pan, place an equal amount of burgers and bacon, making sure to not crowd the pan.  Season the beef with salt and pepper and allow both meats to brown, flip, then re-season.  Place a bit of grated cheese on each burger patty.  Finish cooking all the meat and the cheese should melt at the same time.  You will likely need to cook in batches.

Assemble slider starting with the bottom bun, then alternating peamel and cheesy burger patties until you have a slider that has 6 pieces of bacon and 6 pieces of beef on each.  Top the bun and stick a knife in the top to hold it all together.  

Serve with Poutine (below) and watch the Raptors win their first championship.

Poutine Gravy

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
• 5 whole fresh Sage leaves
• 1 C Beef Stock (homemade is best)
• Kosher Salt for seasoning 
• freshly ground Black Peppercorns for seasoning

Preheat a medium sized pot to medium heat and add butter until it melts.  Add flour and whisk immediately to prevent lumps then reduce heat to low.  Once the two ingredients are smoothly combined, add fresh sage leaves and allow the roux to brown, whisking frequently.  When the roux becomes a nutty brown, after about 10 minutes, then add beef stock and whisk until smooth.  Bring the contents of the pot to the boil then reduce to a low simmer and allow to cook for another 10 minutes, making sure to whisk often to prevent lumps and / or scorching.  Season to taste, cover and keep warm on a low heat, now its fry time!

Poutine

• 3 Lbs Russet Potatoes 
• Kosher Salt for seasoning
• 3/4 C Cheese Curds
• Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Wash potatoes and cut into 1/2” thick batons, place in a pot of water till fully submerged.  Once all potatoes are cut and added to water, add a handful of kosher salt to the pot and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook until potatoes are nearly falling apart, approximately 15 minutes.  Gently transfer potatoes to a clean dry tray using a spider or palm sized slotted spoon.  Allow to cool to room temperature on the tray on the counter.  

Bring a large pot of frying oil of your choice up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure the oil does not exceed half of the volume of the pan.  In small batches, gently place the cooled cooked potatoes into the hot oil until they are golden brown, approximately 4 minutes.  Transfer to a tray with ample paper towels, using a spider or large slotted spoon.  After draining excess fat, transfer fries to a plate, top with cheese curds and then top it all off with hot Poutine Gravy (above). 

Serve with 6ix Side Sliders (above).

Cheesy Roast Wings and Potatoes

• 2 Lbs Chicken Wings, split (drumettes and flats only; save wings for stock or another use)
• 1/2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp ground Coriander 
• 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Tsp freshly ground Black Peppercorns
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 C roughly diced, skin-on, Yukon Gold Potato (about 1 inch cubes)
• 1/2 C grated Smoked Cheddar
• 1/2 C grated Medium Cheddar
• Additional Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Peppercorns to taste
• Garnish:
• Campari Salsa (recipe below)
• 2 Tbsp chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1 Jalapeño, finely sliced into rings
• Lime Wedges, optional

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Set rack to middle of oven.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pat wings very dry with paper towel – this will help wings crisp up, rather than steam in oven.  In a large mixing bowl, gently toss wings with paprika, ground coriander, salt, pepper and 2 tbsp of olive oil to evenly coat all wing pieces.  Arrange wings in a single layer on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1/4 tray open to add potatoes. 

Using the same (now empty) mixing bowl, toss cubed potato with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  Arrange potato cubes in a single layer on remaining area of baking sheet.  Roast in oven for 40 minutes, flipping wings and turning potatoes at the halfway mark.  Both wings and potatoes will be golden and cooked through.

Remove tray from oven and using tongs, carefully arrange wings and potatoes so they are evenly mixed up on tray.  (If desired, for presentation purposes, you can line a round metal pizza tray with parchment and mound cooked wings and potatoes in a golden pile at this point.  Your choice!)  Generously cover the wings and potatoes with the grated cheese and return to oven.  Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4-5 minutes.

To serve, top the hot cheesy wings and potatoes with dollops of Campari salsa and sprinkle chopped parsley over top.  For the heat lovers, top one half of the tray with jalapeño slices.  Serve with additional lime wedges.  Roll up your sleeves and enjoy while hot!

Campari Salsa

• 1 C diced Campari Tomatoes
• 1/4 C finely diced White Onion
• 1 Tsp minced fresh Garlic
• 2 Tsp fresh Lime Juice
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black Peppercorns to taste

Gently combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes to allow flavours to get to know each other.