Foodie Tailgate Recipes

Last Updated on 04/15/2021 by Inside Tailgating

I have been to all kinds of tailgates. I have been to the corporate type. The amazing, blow your mind food extravaganza type. The “we forgot all the utensils and supplies” type. The drinking and nothing else type. The burger and dogs type. I could go on and on.

Heck, I have even been to a tailgate where we have done nothing except sit on the trunk of a rental car eating Butterburgers from Culvers. It was 100 degrees out and we had no real tailgating supplies with us due to the fly-in nature of our trip, so please don’t judge me. And if you have ever had a Culvers sandwich with cheese curds, washed down by homemade root beer, you would know this isn’t the worst idea around.

But what if you want to impress the foodie friends in your crowd? Here are a few recipes that are tough to pull off but they are soooooo worth it.

Pressed Brick Sandwich

INGREDIENTS

• 3 whole roasted red bell peppers (use jarred or roast your own), sliced into ¾ inch strips
• 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 loaf ciabatta
• ½ cupblack-olive paste
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 8 ounces marinated artichoke hearts
• 4 ounces sliced Provolone
• 6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
• ¼ pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
• 1-2 cups loosely packed mixed fresh herbs (I used flat leaf parsley and basil)

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the vinaigrette:

1. Combine mustard and vinegar. Gradually whisk in olive oilthen add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Assemble sandwich:

1. Slice loaf of bread horizontally, and remove bready interior. Spread olive paste on the bottom crust, and add the pepper strips. Crumble goat cheese on top of peppers. Arrange artichoke hearts over goat cheese. Drizzle half of the vinaigrette on top. Arrange Provolone slices, then prosciutto and salami over artichoke hearts. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle with herbs. Place the top crust on sandwich.
2. Wrap the sandwich with plastic wrap and set something heavy like a brick or or cast-iron skillet on top for at least 1 hour. Slice to serve.

Spinach Parmesan White Bean Dip

INGREDIENTS

• One 15 oz. can small white beans, drained (reserve a small amount of the liquid in case you need to add to your dip to adjust the consistency) and rinsed
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil (Greek yogurt also works)
• salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a food processor in puree until smooth. Add a little of the reserved bean liquid (or a little more olive oil), if desired to reach your preferred consistency.
2. Add salt a pepper to taste, pulsing the food processor a few time to mix in thoroughly.

Pastrami & Caramelized Onion Pinwheels

INGREDIENTS

• 1⅔ c. Caramelized Onion & Parmesan spread
• 3 large slices of Pastrami
• 1 c. baby spinach
• 3 tortillasto 1″ pieces to serve.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slather each tortilla with ⅔ c. Caramelized Onion & Parmesan spread. Top with a thick slice of pastrami and ⅓ c. of spinach. Roll up tight and store refrigerated until ready to serve. Cut the ends off of the tortilla roll and slice the remaining portion in

Dr. Pepper Maple Mustard Chipotle BBQ Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 12 chicken legs
• ¼ cup vegetable oil to brush or spray on chicken
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup dijon mustard
• ½ cup Dr Pepper
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1-2 chopped chipotle peppers and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (adjust the amount depending on how spicy you like it)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat.
2. To make the barbecue sauce, in a small bowl mix together the ketchup, mustard, Dr Pepper, vinegar, worcestershire, maple syrup, and chopped chipotle peppers, and sauce.
3. Coat or spray the chicken pieces with vegetable oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder over them.
4. Place the chicken pieces skin side down on the hottest side of the grill in order to sear the skin and get the good grill marks. Grill for about 15 minutes. Once you have a good sear on one side, lower the heat on a gas grill to medium low. Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for about 15 minutes.
5. Turn the chicken and baste the pieces with the barbecue sauce. Cover and grill for about another 10 minutes. Turn one more time and baste with the barbecue sauce and grill for about 5 minutes or until the juices run clear. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Try them out and lets us know how you like them, or share a favorite recipe of your own with us!