Wingin’ It: Home (game) Fries with Lemon Stick Sauce

I stick to what I’m good at, like the Buffalo Bills will do to secure a win

Sure, football is a game, but it’s not just a game. Football is an experience. The kind of experience that goes better with a little food. If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan looking for something special to go with your game-day activities, Buffalo Rumblings has you covered!

This week, I return to my Wingin’ It roots, focus on fundamentals, and come away with a win I call...

Home (game) Fries with Lemon Stick Sauce

I’ve done enough of these where it’s starting to make sense to break out trivia for the die hard fans. Like “Did you know that the very first Wingin’ It was for the 9/8/2018 game between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens?” That was the start of the Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson eras, with both players coming in for a few reps in garbage time. Do yourself a favor and avoid the box score.

That means not only do the two teams and quarterbacks have history with each other, so does Wingin’ It. This week I practice my fundamentals and get back to basics to honor that legacy.

My Home (game) Fries feature a wing sauce inspired by a Baltimore sweet treat known as a lemon stick. Seemingly disparate flavors come together in perfect harmony to favor the home fries.

The Rusty Pitchfork

Serves: about 4
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min

Ingredients

4 russet potatoes
4 Tbsp butter (unsalted or salted, your choice)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Chopped onions (optional)

2⁄3 cup hot sauce
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (half lemon)
7 Red Bird peppermint candies
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (not you choice this time)

You’ll need: Large skillet/fry pan, small sauce pan

Prepare Home (game) fries:

1. Wash and cut potatoes into cubes, roughly half-inch size; rinse and drain thoroughly.
2. Add butter and olive oil to fry pan; melt butter on MED.
3. Stir in potatoes, toss to coat in butter (stir if you’re not comfortable tossing).
4. Continue to cook for about 10-15 min, until potatoes start to brown, tossing occasionally.
5. OPTIONAL: If adding onion, toss them into the mixture at this point.
6. Continue frying potatoes until desired crispiness, about another 10 min, tossing occasionally.
7. Remove from heat.

You can begin sauce about midway through making the Home (game) Fries) if you feel like multitasking

1. Add hot sauce, lemon juice and Red Bird candies into sauce pan on LOW.
2. Stir occasionally until Red Birds are completely integrated.
3. Add butter and stir in until blended.
4. Remove from heat and enjoy with Home (game) fries.

Wingin’ It Tips and Prep Gallery

The gallery doesn’t reveal any great secrets but shows the Red Birds and their dissolving. I wanted to balance this right and added three at first. I think five or six would give a...