Go Long on Game Day

Ready-for-action recipes to feed fans

(Family Features) When game day arrives and your crowd is ready to crank up the heat, turning to appetizers and dishes that feed the whole group can help save the season. You can defend against overly complicated recipes with long cook times by instead opting for finger foods and handheld snacks that allow for more pregame prep and less cleanup after the final whistle.

For example, setting up a chili bar allows for convenient eating throughout the game as it's easy to keep warm for hours. To give your guests a variety of flavors to choose from, these recipes for bacon-wrapped potatoes and ribs glazed with a sweet-hot sauce involve short ingredients lists and simple preparation to keep you out of the kitchen and into the game.

To find more recipe inspiration for game day, visit Culinary.net.

A Perfect Pregame Warmup

As one of the ultimate comfort foods, chili is an ideal watch-party snack: easy to prepare, stays warm in a slow cooker and can be personalized by guests with a wide variety of toppings. Consider adorning your bowl with a combination of these add-ons:

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Ketchup
• Hot sauce
• Jalapenos
• Green onions
• Chives
• Olives
• Diced avocado
• Diced tomato
• Bacon bits
• Corn chips
• Crackers

Score Big with Little Potatoes

Part of the fun of the Big Game is the food, and you can score big points by serving up crowd-pleasing sides and snacks. For a familiar spin on a football-watching favorite, try these Pigskin Potatoes: a classic combination of little potatoes and melted cheese wrapped with bacon.

There's no fumbling around with this game day snack made with Creamer potatoes from The Little Potato Company. With no washing or peeling required, little potatoes cook in next to no time whether they are boiled, roasted or smashed. You can be the MVP of your kitchen without missing a second of the action.

Visit littlepotatoes.com/gameday for more game day recipe inspiration and to find a store near you.

Pigskin Potatoes

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 44 minutes
Servings: 8

• 1 bag (1 1/2 pounds) Dynamic Duo or Terrific Trio Little Potatoes
• 6 ounces plain cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/3 cup finely shredded orange cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
• 1 pound thinly sliced bacon, rashers cut in half

1. Heat oven to 400 F.
2. Boil potatoes until fork tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Cut in half and allow to cool.
   In bowl, use spatula to combine cream cheese, cheddar, chives, salt, pepper and jalapeno, if desired.
3. Once chilled, spread cream cheese on half of cut potatoes and sandwich each with other halves. Wrap each potato using half rasher of bacon around cut middle to ensure cheese doesn't escape.
4. Bake on middle rack 10 minutes. Flip and bake 10 minutes.
5. Turn oven to broil. Broil 2 minutes, turn once and broil 2 minutes until bacon reaches desired crispiness.

Tip: Boil potatoes 2 days ahead. Fill and wrap potatoes 1 day ahead then bake and serve on game day.

A Sweet-Heat Snack

Finger foods and watch parties go hand-in-hand, which is why these baby back ribs are ideal for grabbing a couple (or more) and heading to your favorite spot on the couch. Glazed with a mixture of honey, chipotle peppers and mangoes for some sweet heat, they're cooked low and slow for fall-off-the-bone flavor.

Just wrap the ribs and sauce in aluminum foil, place over low indirect heat and let your grill do the work. To help simplify game day, try cooking a day in advance and warm in the oven a couple hours prior to kickoff.

Find more game day recipes at honey.com.

Baby Back Ribs with Honey, Chipotle and Mango Glaze

Recipe courtesy of the National Honey Board
Servings: 8

• 2 racks baby back ribs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 4 ripe mangoes, cubed
• 1 cup honey

1. Remove ribs from package; rinse and pat dry. Remove membrane. Place in shallow pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. In small saucepan over medium heat, cook chipotle peppers, mangoes and honey, stirring constantly, until cooked down and thick enough to coat back of spoon.
3. Heat grill to 225-240 F.
4. Wrap ribs and 2/3 of sauce mixture tightly in aluminum foil and place over indirect heat. Close lid. After 2 hours, flip ribs and cook 2 hours. Open aluminum and remove ribs, place directly on grill and brush with remaining sauce. Cook 30 minutes. Remove from grill and serve hot.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images (main image and Baby Back Ribs with Honey, Chipotle and Mango Glaze)

(BPT) - Grilling is one of America’s greatest pastimes, and if you love grilled meat, chances are you also like hosting meals for family and friends to show off your pit master prowess. Once you’ve mastered the art of the char, why not take it a step further? Serve wine that blows the lid off the meal, in the best possible way.

The right wine pairing makes all the difference. The aroma and flavor of wines can highlight and enhance the taste of grilled food like no other beverage. And the good news is, it’s not rocket science. Choosing wine depends mostly on what you’re grilling, and how you’re dressing it up — what kind of sauce or rubs you’re using.

Here’s a handy guide to wine pairings to take your event to the next level.

Mix it up

If you’re serving a mix of grilled foods, including pork or barbecued chicken or turkey along with burgers and steaks, you’ll want to choose a versatile wine that pairs well with a variety of different types of meat and poultry. Since many pork recipes use sweet and tangy sauces, wine with a fruitier flavor may be just the ticket, like red zinfandel or a bourbon barrel aged wine. You may even want to add a little of the wine to the sauce.

The Federalist Bourbon Barrel-aged Zinfandel embraces the uniquely American tradition of aging wine in charred bourbon barrels. The result is a fruity, spicy wine with dark cherry and cola notes, making the wine a great choice to pair with chicken or turkey marinated in barbecue sauce or grilled smoked sausages. For a stronger tannin structure and cleansing acidity that pairs exceptionally well with steak, a Lodi sourced zinfandel adds some zing to balance spicy, smoky flavors from your grill or smoker.

Lighten it up

When you’re grilling lighter fare like turkey, fish or chicken, or if you're entertaining vegetarian or vegan friends, choose a white wine to enhance and match those delicate flavors and textures. Heavier barbecued meats and stronger flavors can easily overwhelm a lighter white wine, but a crisp chardonnay pairs very well with these foods. Chardonnay pairs perfectly with veggie burgers and grilled vegetables, turkey, chicken, and several types of fattier fish such as salmon, trout, tuna or rockfish. You can even serve it with Cornish game hen if you’re feeling fancy.

Bold barbecue needs bold wine

When you’re grilling cuts of beef like brisket, tenderloin, a juicy steak or ribs and using potent spices and flavors like classic Kansas City or Memphis-style barbecue sauce, cabernet sauvignon is a great choice to balance those intense flavors.

For example, within The Federalist’s portfolio of wines celebrating America’s heritage, The Federalist Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium weight red wine with a good grip from tannins, in wine speak — and what does that mean? It means the flavor and body of the wine is strong enough to hold up to the bold, smoky and spicy flavors of your meat. You can also serve it with game like venison or roasted and smoked vegetables. This wine has an aroma of berries, tart cherries, sweet oak and cinnamon, along with a delicious flavor that will wow your meat-loving guests.

Another popular choice to serve with grilled meats like a flank steak is The Federalist Honest Red Blend, combining 53% merlot grapes with 30% zinfandel and 15% cabernet sauvignon. It marries the flavor of dark fruits with some spiciness and a rich, round mouthfeel. You can’t go wrong serving a bold red wine with grilled red meat, as the high-fat content in the meat is balanced by the strong tannins present in red wine.

Tap into these tips to help you select the right flavor balance to show off your grilling skills. Check out @FederalistWines on Instagram to learn more.