I’m not the biggest American football fan (except… go Jets!). But I love Super Bowl parties. Because of the time difference, it’s a lot harder to justify hosting a party for a game that starts at 11pm (British time) on a Sunday. And it’s even worse when it’s hosted on the West Coast. Woe is me, I know.

Don’t worry about me, though. It is not going to stop me from feasting, especially since Super Bowl food is so good.

Im going to admit to enjoying some of the finer “junk” foods in life, including saucy wings and 7 layer dips. I’m also going to admit that I don’t have a deep fat fryer, and something about dumping that much oil into anything feels … expensive.

So here’s a recipe for those of you who want wings but don’t want a vat of sizzling oil hanging around. Or for anyone who wants to feel a little more saintly by telling everyone these are baked chicken wings, rather than fried.

I learned the tip that makes this recipe from one of my favorite food celebs, Alton Brown. It’s clever, it’s easy and it works. Steam your wing pieces to render out the fat, making for crispy oven-baked skin. Don’t worry, you won’t dry them out, because the steaming helps with that, too.

It’s worth noting that the steamed wings must sit in the fridge for at least an hour to cool off and dry.

Crispy baked chicken wings will be yours before you know it.

Since I find it hard to make a decision, I make 2 different sauces to keep it interesting. You can go any direction you want. Sweet sticky barbecue, lip-tingling spice, deep and smoky…

Well … on to the recipe.

Technique based on Alton Brown’s buffalo wings.

5

Serves 4

Crispy baked chicken wings

30 minPrep Time

45 minCook Time

2 hr, 15 Total Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

On the Counter

Baked wings
• 10 chicken wings, or 20 wing pieces
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp (about 50 g) butter
Honey chipotle wing sauce
• 3 tbsp chipotle paste
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• salt to taste
Hot wing sauce
• 3 tbsp (50 mL) cayenne sauce, like Frank's RedHot (my personal choice)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• salt to taste

What to Do

Baked wings
• If you're starting with full wings, segment them into 3 pieces, at the joints. You can save the wing tips for chicken stock, but you won't need them for this recipe.
• Set water boiling in a steamer pot. Once the water is at a boil, place the wing pieces, in one layer, in the steamer. Cover. Steam them for 10 minutes, turn them over, and steam them for another 5-10 minutes to render out the fat.
• Take pot off the heat, and carefully remove the wings. With paper towels, dry them and set them onto a cooling rack, sitting above a tray.
• Refrigerate the steamed wings for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make or prepare your wing sauce, or sauces.
• Heat the oven to 200 C (390 F).
• Cover a tray with foil, and lay out the wing pieces. Season them with salt and pepper.
• Set the tray on the oven's middle rack and bake the wings for 15 minutes, skin side up. Flip them and roast for another 10 minutes. They should be at least 74 C (165 F) internally and the skin should be golden.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter and put it in a small bowl or jar.
• Brush the chicken wings with butter, and then toss them in with the wings sauce or sauces.
Honey chipotle and hot wings sauces
• In a medium bowl for each sauce, combine all the ingredients. If the sauce needs to be thinned out, add some water, 1 teaspoon at a time and stir it together.

7.8.1.2

6

https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2016/02/04/crispy-baked-chicken-wings/

If you want a veggie-friendly Super Bowl snack, why not try vegetarian nachos instead?

International blogger woes: Should I use the American names for ingredients or the British names? There’s a lot to consider (believe it or not), including what people will search for, and if I lose out on people because you might not know what I’m talking about.

And, on a totally unrelated note … fava beans, known in the UK as broad beans, are finally back in season. Whatever you call them, they are delicious and full of goodness.

Fava beans/broad beans are high in fiber and iron, and low in sodium and fat. They’re also loaded with protein – so much so that in Sicily, they were called poor man’s meat.

I actually used to hate them, until I realized that you could (and should, really) remove the outer thick shell. The difference in taste is dramatic.

The shells are edible, but they give broad beans a bitter taste and hide the natural sweetness of the inner bean.

Getting these little suckers out of those shells is the most time-consuming part of the whole process, and it’s the only thing that keeps this from being a 10 minute start-to-finish recipe. I’d suggest putting on a podcast and/or getting someone to pitch in.

In this incarnation, I’ve paired broad beans / fava beans with similar ingredients to a pesto, and served it on toasted homemade bread. Definitely don’t bother using sliced supermarket bread, get out there and get a nice crusty loaf from the bakery.

Have it as a snack or a starter. It keeps well in the fridge, and I like having it when I get home from work, especially if dinner is a long way away.

Serves: 4
Time: 20 minutes from start to finish

On the Counter

500 g fresh broad beans (fava beans) in their pods
1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced
Juice from 1/4 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Small handful of parsley, chopped
4 slices crusty bread

What to Do

Take the beans out of their pods.

In a pot of boiling water, cook them for 2 minutes. They shouldn’t need any more time. Drain and rinse them with cold water to cool them down and stop the cooking process.

Remove the bright green bean halves from their shells. (It doesn’t matter if they break along the way.) Discard the shells, and add the beans, salt, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and olive oil into a wide-bottomed bowl or a food processor bowl and stir.

Crush everything lightly with a potato masher or use a food processor, though I prefer using a potato masher. Don’t mash it into a pulp, as some texture makes it look (and taste) better.

Meanwhile, if you’re serving it immediately, toast a few slices of crusty bread. You can drizzle it with more olive oil if you’re feeling decadent, but it’s good without, too.

You can also store it in the fridge for several days. After a few hours in the fridge, the lemon and garlic will be more pronounced.

I really wish there were more hours in a day. I wrote a first draft of this post last week and lost it, unfortunately, but the fact that it took me nearly a month to even write this gets to me.

By the time I cook, I’m too tired to sit down and write about it at 10 pm. But, until someone makes a real life TimeTurner, my recipes will just have to wait patiently in the drafts queue.

This is probably my favorite thing to make for group dinner/lunch parties. It was for my first Burns Night, and I was joining the gentleman’s yearly tradition. In typical fashion, I spent far too much time stressing about what I’d bring to Burns Night dinner, even if I “didn’t have to bring anything.” Of course I had to bring something.

I finally settled on making herbed crepes with creme fraiche and Scottish smoked salmon, and even though I was sure it fit the theme, I still worried endlessly until I got my first positive (and unsolicited) review. Burns Night, by the way, is a celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns, with a main course of haggis and root vegetables.

Since then, I’ve made these several times, always with great success. The best part was when one of the gentleman’s friends asked me if I’d brought the crepes again. Appetizer jackpot!

Once you get the hang of making crepes (or pancakes for that matter), this is a pretty easy starter to do, and you can make it ahead, since it’s a cold dish.

Serves: 10-15 people, as long as no one’s late (they go quickly!)

On The Counter:

Crepes:
2 large eggs
1 cup (120g) plain flour
1 1/4 cup (300ml) milk
5 tsp (25g) butter, melted
1/4 cup (10g) fresh parsley, chives & dill, chopped
salt and white pepper (black is fine, but white looks better)

Topping:
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 lb (225g) smoked salmon, finely diced
1 1/4 cups (300ml) crème fraîche
3 tbsp (5g) fresh parsley, chives & dill, chopped

What to Do:

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks pop. Gradually add in flour, milk and melted butter. Add in chopped herbs and combine. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place diced cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle salt on top. After 5 minutes, drain excess liquid. (You can also squeeze the cucumber between paper towels to remove more water.)

Melt a small amount of butter in a crepe pan or flat skillet over medium heat.

Fill an ice cream scoop and gently pour the batter so that it forms a thin circular layer. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until set. You should be able to flip it over easily. Flip it and cook for 30 seconds, until golden.

Repeat with all of the batter, stacking the crepes between sheets of parchment paper.

Place crème fraîche, 3 tbsp chopped herbs and cucumber into a medium bowl. Combine until well-mixed.

To serve, cut crepes into quarters. Top with a small piece of salmon and a generous spoonful of crème fraîche.

Apologies for the lack of good final dish photo… I didn’t get take a very good one before the hungry hordes descended!