Favorite Memorial Day Recipes

Unofficially known as the start of summer for many, Memorial Day weekend comes to the Bay Area on little rays of sunlight that break through spotty cloud cover, giving glimmers of school-free days to come. For us grown-ups, summer may not mean “Summer Break” any more, but it does mean it’s time to break out the coals and lighter fluid (or propane, if you follow the Hank Hill model) and get to grilling. With the upcoming busy barbeque weekend in mind, we’ve rounded up a few favorites from around the web, and from our own personal recipe collections.

• Red Skinned Potato Salad, AllRecipes.com

Here’s one recipe that caught my attention for its use of two of my favorite ingredients: red potatoes and bacon. I love the generous amounts of hard boiled eggs it calls for, and keeping the colorful skins on the potatoes makes a nice aesthetic touch. To satisfy my love of deviled eggs, I might add some fresh dill and paprika.

• Chili, EasyChiliRecipes.net

Great chili is the stuff legends are born of. I like this simple recipe because it blatantly gives the cook full permission to improvise. While a friend of mine will never reveal the secrets of his famous drool-worthy chili, I can think of a few key ingredients that can be added to a basic recipe such as this one to make it your own. First, start with a tomato juice base, such as V-8 juice, to give some thickness and flavor. Then add your beef, beans, onions, skinned tomato pieces and other listed ingredients plus some chunks of extra thick-cut bacon and let simmer for a good hour or so. Toss in all your spices to taste (I love loads of cayenne and Serrano peppers), some molasses and a few drops of liquid smoke, then let simmer another hour. Then, for my favorite part, toss in some beer toward the end of the simmer, preferably a good smoked porter but almost any stout or porter will work. And remember to taste throughout.

• Grilled Asparagus

Grilling the long, tender sticks may sound easy, but when done with a little extra care, this side dish can become a main event. I like to lay the asparagus out evenly on a sheet of tin foil, then spread a little olive oil over them. Next, add just a pinch of salt, some black pepper and a few whole garlic cloves, wrap loosely in the foil, and then grill until the sticks are slightly tender but can still stand up when held vertically. When the asparagus is just about done, I throw some grated parmesan on top, giving the cheese a couple minutes to melt.  The garlic cloves should be browned to the point that the gooey insides ooze out and add aroma to the asparagus.

• Blue Cheese Burgers

My staple for pretty much every barbeque, the secret to getting these guys extra juicy and flavorful is to marinate the ground beef for a few hours (ideally overnight) in a mixture of salt, black pepper, rosemary, minced fresh garlic, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. When it’s time to grill, roll about a tablespoon’s worth of crumbled blue cheese into the middle of each burger patty, making sure the beef seals around it so the cheese won’t burn. Top them off with a slab of cheddar and your favorite fixings. For those who are not fans of the pungent blue, sub out feta or goat cheese to fill the burgers.

• Stuffed Barbeque Shrimp, Grilling.com

This recipe is a bit complex in process but incorporates bacon, cheese, basil and garlic, and involves stuffing food in other food and then wrapping it in even more delicious food. True summer gluttony at its finest  –  how could anyone resist?

• Mint Julep, Epicurious.com

I’m a sucker for any beverage that makes me feel like I should be sitting in an old wooden rocking chair on the porch of some grand old estate in the Deep South, sipping slowly while fanning myself with an oversized paper fan. The mint julep is about as classic American South as drinks get, and this recipe looks to be a winner. Unlike some recipes that call for a pre-made simple syrup solution, this one uses ultra fine (or powdered) sugar and club soda, toning down the strength and sweetness of the drink a bit while upping its refreshment factor. I make my juleps with bourbon and about a third less sugar, but, since these are made by the glass, they are completely customizable.