Gordon Dossett | Brewery, Winery & Fine Dinery: For Super Bowl feast, look to ... a trash can? (2024)

The careful reader of this regular column may have noticed that “fine dining” is not snobbish dining.

Carmy Berzatto, the fine TV chef on "The Bear," can use four different kinds of plums to make a dessert — and then chow down on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So all of us nonprofessional eaters can relax.

We know fine dining when we see it, or taste it.

Which, of course, brings me to Super Bowl, which summons up not caviar and Chateaubriand, but nachos and wings. And the decadent smashburger and tater tots served at Haig’s Sports Bar in Manchester suggests that Haig’s would serve the perfect food to nosh on watching the Chiefs battle the Forty-Niners.

A Super Bowl gathering brings together all types: fire-breathing fans who want to crush the enemy, happy bystanders who think Purdy and Mahomes is a law firm in Rutland, half-time experts who dissect Janet Jackson’s wardrobe issues of 2004, and, of course, Taylor Swift fans.

All must eat.

Chris Bogassian, the owner of Haig’s, sets up my companion and me, first with a plate of Buffalo wings — juicy and spicy enough to leave the tongue tingling, but not to pull an internal fire alarm and send sweat to the ears and toes. My companion, who seeks out wings throughout the state, pronounces it “right up there” with Wings Over Burlington. Making Haig’s even more wing-worthy are the two house-made sauces. The standard blue cheese sauce is subtly flavored, complementing the heat and slight sweetness. The requested ranch, too, has a fresh hit of dill and chives.

Happily spiced, we ventured into the kitchen to see chef Jared Scherer perform the Trash Can Nachos — part taste treat, part magic show. He loads up a baking tray with tortilla chips and shredded cheese, and pops it into the oven. Then he grabs a brand-new, clean, mini trash can (which looks like a 3-pound coffee can). He ladles in three or four hits of chili in the bottom. He tosses in an assortment of jalapeño peppers, pickled onions, black beans, olives, and queso cheese. Then nicely warmed and oozing with cheese, the tortilla chips go on top, followed by a tray — all ready to be turned upright at the table for a dramatic reveal — and a mountain of nachos.

Chris reported that a customer recently gobbled down the whole mountain. I can understand the urge; it has an irresistible gooey crunchy deliciousness — a perfect accompaniment to a helmet-crushing tackle or a 55 yard touchdown pass. For me, the spicy homemade chili sets these nachos apart — and the dramatic presentation, of course.

So I have two recommendations for Super Bowl food.

One: go to Haig’s. You’ll also find: tater tots (plain and loaded) as well as draft beers from 14th Star, Zero Gravity, Fiddlehead, Long Trail and others.

Or two: Stay home and make your own feast.

Jared kindly shared his guidance on trash can nachos and Buffalo sauce.

Trash can nachos

We don’t need no stinkin' recipe.

The technique is the secret here (and finding a large can). Pick your own ingredients. If you’re having chili — mandatory for carnivores — put it on the bottom of the can. Toss in your favorites (olives, jalapeño peppers, queso, onions). Put the warmed chips and cheddar (or Mexican blend) cheese on top. Cover with a tray or large plate.

In front of your friends, act like a magician: Reveal the little mountain of nachos!

High five!

Repeat.

Haig’s Buffalo sauce for wings

Ingredients

½ gallon Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

½ lb. butter

1 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup roasted garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup roasted shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

½ tablespoon salt & pepper

Method

Melt butter and roast garlic and shallots. When translucent and browning, remove from heat.

Combine other ingredients in a container, using an immersion blender. (A food processor should work as well.)

Haig’s deep fries the wings. If you don’t have a fryer, you can air fry or bake them.

Smother wings in sauce and serve with your favorite dips.