WASHINGTON — The prize was a hot dish dish, with a plaque affixed. And you’ll be able to see it in Amy Klobuchar’s office.
Klobuchar won the Minnesota delegation’s first hot dish competition with a Taconite Tater Tot entry that was all sorts of cheesy, crispy goodness and garnered 55 points out of a possible 60. It bested five other entries from Al Franken, Michele Bachmann, Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and Tim Walz, whose chicken and wild rice hot dish came second.
It was a blind taste test, so the three-man judging panel of former Reps. Vin Weber (R), Gerry Sikorski (D) and I didn’t know whose dish was whose before we tasted. That having been said, we all came to pretty much the same conclusion. For what it’s worth, I gave Klobuchar and Walz 19 out of a possible 20 points, and they tied as my top pick.
Franken’s office posted all the recipes online here. All six lawmakers said they hope to make this an annual tradition.
Based on the recipes, I’d have given it to Walz or Franken. I love hotdish but am not a fan of the Can o’ Soup style cuisine, have a vague hope someday everyone will realize how very easy it is to whip up your own white sauce.
If Taco Bell is being sued for it’s meat claim that our senior senator should be disqualified for have a hot dish that contains no actual Taconite!
Next year, perhaps she can get some frozen or canned Green Giant spinach. Spinach is high in iron and the recipe can have an option for cooking on a stove, which is often called a “range” around here.
Perhaps our elected officials can do some pre-event research for next years event by attending the late summer http://potatodays.com/ in Barnesville, MN. The Food Network covered it a few years back. Barnesville’s most famous former resident is Kathleen Ann Soliah/Sara Jane Olson-Peterson.