Looks good to me!
State fairs, gastronomic celebrations of all things fried, occasionally surprise with the culinary creativity dished up at food booths. Which is how we feel about a new delicacy (OK, that may not be the right word) being served at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. It's sort of a deconstructed shepherd's pie, a meat and potato concoction, we'd vote it into the State Fair Food Hall of Fame” (if there was one).
It is the "Meat-Man Parfait " being scooped up by the team at Midstate Meat Co.’s booth that captured our tastebuds at the fair on Saturday. They didn’t actually use the word “deconstructed” but that’s how one taster best described his “Meat-Man Parfait.” For $7, you get barbecued pork layered with mashed potatoes in a plastic cup, finished with a dollop of potatoes, a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a “cherry” tomato. Or, you could alternate layers of barbecued pork with barbecued brisket, as we did.
The "parfait," says Midstate's Steve Donelan, is a bit of an homage to a mashed potato-loving uncle, been grabbing a lot of attention, and was conjured up by Bob Cooper, chef at the 33-year old Springfield family business. The all-pork is in the lead as the State Fair favorite so far...but final results won't be known until after the fair ends Aug. 22.
Whether it makes it into a State Fair Food Hall of Fame remains to be seen. Right now, my top contenders are lemon shake-ups, cream puffs, corn dogs, salt-water taffy, deep-fried Snickers and deep-fried pickles. What other fair foods deserve a "hall of fame" spot?
p.s. BTW: Found the last two items at the French booth in an area dedicated to ethnic fare. Who knew the French had a thing for deep-fried pickles?
Source
State fairs, gastronomic celebrations of all things fried, occasionally surprise with the culinary creativity dished up at food booths. Which is how we feel about a new delicacy (OK, that may not be the right word) being served at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. It's sort of a deconstructed shepherd's pie, a meat and potato concoction, we'd vote it into the State Fair Food Hall of Fame” (if there was one).
It is the "Meat-Man Parfait " being scooped up by the team at Midstate Meat Co.’s booth that captured our tastebuds at the fair on Saturday. They didn’t actually use the word “deconstructed” but that’s how one taster best described his “Meat-Man Parfait.” For $7, you get barbecued pork layered with mashed potatoes in a plastic cup, finished with a dollop of potatoes, a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a “cherry” tomato. Or, you could alternate layers of barbecued pork with barbecued brisket, as we did.
The "parfait," says Midstate's Steve Donelan, is a bit of an homage to a mashed potato-loving uncle, been grabbing a lot of attention, and was conjured up by Bob Cooper, chef at the 33-year old Springfield family business. The all-pork is in the lead as the State Fair favorite so far...but final results won't be known until after the fair ends Aug. 22.
Whether it makes it into a State Fair Food Hall of Fame remains to be seen. Right now, my top contenders are lemon shake-ups, cream puffs, corn dogs, salt-water taffy, deep-fried Snickers and deep-fried pickles. What other fair foods deserve a "hall of fame" spot?
p.s. BTW: Found the last two items at the French booth in an area dedicated to ethnic fare. Who knew the French had a thing for deep-fried pickles?
Source