KELLEY SAYS: It's football season, and that means tailgating or hosting people to watch the game. I wanted to do something along those lines, and beer, brats and sliders all fit the bill. I had originally thought of making a beer cheese dip but opted to make a soup instead.
BARRY SAYS: A good pretzel is perfect for dipping into beer cheese dip, and since we were going to use pretzel rolls for the slider buns, it made sense to go with the soup.
KELLEY: I really liked the combination of the three items in this dish. The brats with the apples and caraway was a little different than just a burger, and with the slaw and the pretzel roll, the sliders were really good. Add in the cheese soup, and it was a score.
Next time, I might mix in a little ground beef with the brats.
BARRY: I totally agree. Everything worked really well together. Of course, Guinness makes just about everything taste better. I also couldn't help but think that the slider could be made with a grilled portabella mushroom or a black-bean burger.
Beer cheese soup is a great pairing with brat sliders with slaw on a pretzel roll.Sliders
4 large brats
1/4 cup dried apples, minced
1/2 tablespoon toasted caraways seeds
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried onion
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Ground black pepper
Remove the casings from the brats, and place meat in a mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients, and mix together. Let sit for a while to allow the apples to rehydrate. When ready, make small patties and cook on the grill.
Slaw
1/4 large cabbage, shredded
1/3 red onion, sliced thin
1/3 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon toasted caraway seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Beer Cheese Soup
1/2 bag baby yellow Dutch potatoes, chopped
2 chopped tri-colored carrots
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 (1.4 ounce) package Knorr vegetable mix
1 (1.2 ounce) bottle Guinness Stout
3 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Yancy's Fancy Aged Cheddar
Mild Wisconsin Cheddar
Place potatoes, carrots, onions, caraway seeds, celery, vegetable mix, beer and water in the crock pot, and cook on high for four hours. Remove lid and let reduce some more before adding the cream and cheeses. Once ready, you may use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Note that because of the dark beer and the tri-colored carrots, the soup may be a darker color than you might be expecting.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or call 423-757-6354.