Minnesota lawmakers put politics aside for 'hotdish' contest

Donovan Slack | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — There were Tater Tots, turkey and a whole lot of trash-talking on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as members of Minnesota's congressional delegation faced off in Sen. Al Franken's fifth annual casserole bake-off — or hotdish-off if you're Minnesotan.

Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum pulled out the win this year with a turkey and wild rice dish covered in sweet potato Tater Tots. Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson scored second place with his "Suspend the Rules and Pass the Hotdish," a hearty ground-beef mixture topped with a cornbread crust. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar rounded out the top three with a turkey-bacon dish topped with biscuits.

"Much of it was crispy, a lot of it was very original, it was tasty, but there was a spectrum of tastiness," said chief judge Eric Kaler, president of the University of Minnesota.

Kaler joked that as a chemical engineer who specializes in "complex and often hazardous fluids," he was well-qualified to judge the concoctions submitted to the competition by all 10 members of Congress from the Gopher State.

Franken started the bake-off as a way to get the entire delegation together and put partisan politics aside.

"Then we have all 10 of us for just some camaraderie and fun to celebrate a real Minnesota tradition," he said Wednesday.

Along with the camaraderie came a fair amount of ribbing. Franken accused Democratic Rep. Tim Walz of cheating by trying to tip off judges to which dish was his. And Franken said it was "kind of obnoxious" that Walz, who won the competition the past two years, was looking for a third win.

When Klobuchar decided to remove foil keeping another lawmaker's dish warm, saying it was against the rules, Republican Rep. Tom Emmer suggested the rules seemed rather "fluid." A House colleague then quipped, "That's because senators are in charge."

Emmer, who was participating in his first delegation hotdish-off, seemed less than amused that his Tater Tot-covered ground beef and mushroom and chicken soup dish didn't place.

"The judges made a mistake, the judges made a mistake, that's all I have to say," he sniffed.

"Eric Kaler had some kind of cold," Klobuchar interjected.

"Yeah, there was something wrong," Emmer replied.

"But I don't have to cry foul this year," Klobuchar said.

"Because you were in the top?" Emmer said. "Don't you understand, if you don't finish first, you're with all the rest."

Winning recipe: Turkey, Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Hotdish (Rep. Betty McCollum)



Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey

2 large bunches kale leaves

3 cups cooked wild rice

½ yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp butter

4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup milk

1/8 cup cream

½ tsp thyme, minced

1 package frozen sweet potato Tater Tots

Directions

• Brown ground turkey in pan with salt and pepper, set aside.

• Add kale leaves and 1 cup water to large saucepan and cover, stirring occasionally. Do this until water has evaporated and kale is wilted. Remove from saucepan and set aside.

• On medium-high heat, add mushrooms, onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil to saucepan. Do not stir and let mushrooms brown and begin to caramelize. After about 5-6 minutes, stir mixture, add salt and pepper to taste, and allow to sit for another 5-6 minutes.

• Add kale, butter, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, cinnamon, paprika, red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

• Add milk, cream, and chicken stock to the pan. Reduce heat, and cover, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens and reduces into a sauce. Add flour to thicken if necessary.

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• In 9x9 baking dish, combine the sauce from your pan, the wild rice and the ground turkey. Top with a single layer of sweet potato tots. Bake until tots begin to brown slightly on top, about 35 minutes.

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