New Recipe: Week 16

Over the weekend we drove to Atlanta for lunch. Son3 was there along with some friends. We see him very seldom now, so we thought it would be a good to spend a couple of hours with him. Since they all live in NYC and can't get the good stuff there, the consensus was meeting at a BBQ joint.  We met at Fox's Bbq on Dekalb close to Little Five Points. If you are headed to Atlanta it is a tasty place to eat, but I would advise you to go at an off hour. The place is crowded and there is little parking. Very little parking! You know you are at a popular place when lunchtime on Saturday requires an off duty police officer who is hired to direct traffic OUT of the meager lot. I actually think he is there mainly to tell people where the offsite parking is. (about 2 blocks away)

There were nine of us for lunch and luckily our table was in a small private alcove off the main restaurant. First we ordered several appetizers for the table. (Fried dill pickles, burnt ends of smoked pork belly, and some tater tot concoction that consisted of tots drizzled in Brunswick stew, onions, peppers and cheese than topped with more tots and cheese)

Next came the main meals and except for me it was a parade of meat. I was not interested in eating bbq that early in the day so I opted for a grilled pimento cheese sandwich. Instead the usual slathered in butter and cooked on a flat top sandwich, the bread was lightly oiled and the sandwich was grilled atop a hickory grill. It had a wonderful wood fired smoke taste to it and almost makes me want to build a small version of a wood fired pizza oven in the back yard to have the same results at home. Notice I said almost!

Since the servings were copious and so many different dishes were ordered there was some food swapping and sampling among us. TheHub and I agreed the bbq itself was not the best we have ever eaten even though it was very good. We had bites of about 15 different items though, and there was not a single one that was not  extremely tasty. It is very hard for any restaurant to have dishes that are uniformly good and they hit the nail on the head with everything we tried. We will go back.

CJ, the dude sitting to my right was an Army Brat and from everywhere. He was thrilled to be back in the south for the weekend, and since he had lived in various southern locations he knew how to order. A couple or them, originally from the NYC area had a hard time wrapping their minds around the fact that mac and cheese was on the veggie plate options. For those of you who do not understand it, mac and cheese is decidedly part of a veggie plate in any decent place in the south which offers vegetable plate as an entree. For his "veggies" he chose mac and cheese and a "Frito casserole".  Now I grew up eating mac and cheese but I had never in my life heard of a Frito casserole. Hats off to Fox's with the service visual. His bbq basket came with his bowl of mac and cheese and a snack size Frito's bag  filled with the casserole. We were all impressed with the presentation!

I did take a peek inside the bag but did not taste it, even after CJ said it took him back to when he was a kid, and did offer me a bite. Since he seemed to enjoy it so much I figured it was worth googling to see if I could find a recipe for some home experimentation. Bingo!

                                                      Frito Casserole

1 regular size bag Fritos
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground chuck
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Mexicorn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 4 oz. can chili peppers drained
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I did not use this cause I did not have a can on hand and was not about to go shopping for some)
salt and pepper to taste (I only added pepper)
2 cups Colby jack cheese, grated (I used about 1/2 cup of cheddar)
Sour cream for garnish

Brown the onions and ground beef until the beef loses its color. Toss in the garlic and cook until it is wilted. Throw in the remaining ingredients except for the Fritos and cheese. Heat and stir well to incorporate everything.

Sprinkle a thin layer of Fritos in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover with the meat mixture, then top with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until everything is bubbly.(About 10 minutes)  Remove from the oven. Put additional Fritos on each plate and spoon the casserole over them then add a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy.

When we were talking about having this, TheHub said he refused to eat it unless it was served in a cute little Frito bag. Now I was not about to buy individual serving bags of Fritos, especially since we buy Fritos only a couple of times a year for him to eat while watching a ball game, Silly boy!  He should know better than to try and out smart aleck a professional smart ass.

I did a few things different other than omitting the cream of mushroom soup. I sliced a medium zucchini into thin slices and tossed it in the pan when browning the beef. I also added a sliced orange bell pepper at the same time. I mainly wanted to add additional veggies to the meal. I did not put the cheese on top of the meat mix and put it in the oven. It was just the two of us and we did not care if it was pretty or not, plus the Frito bag held the heat and the cheese had melted by the time we put it on our plates.  I added some thyme, oregano, a dash of cayenne and some cumin because I like intense flavors and the recipe sounded milder than I prefer.

Neither of us had ever had it so we were not drawn into some nostalgic place, but we agreed it was tasty. I think a family with kids would probably love it because it seems to be more kiddie fare than adult food. Still it was a nice experiment, perfectly fine tasting and easy to make. Will I make it again ? Maybe, especially if we ever have leftover Fritos.  If I do make it again I will add additional spices to it and more vegetables. Grated carrots and some summer squash would be good additions.