Classical vs. Modern

Classical

When tasked to come up with a truly Minnesotan dish, Chef Mary Levinski, culinary instructor and a ProStart coach at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, looked no further than hotdish. This comforting casserole, perfect for a snowy winter day, traditionally combines tater tots with ground beef, cream of mushroom soup and frozen or canned corn and peas. Here, Chef Levinski elevates the classic version of the dish using shredded braised brisket or flank steak instead of ground beef, plus a homemade Swiss cheesebased bechamel instead of the canned stuff. For an elevated presentation, she presses crushed tater tots together in a mold to create two “cakes” that are then layered with sauteed mushrooms, peas and caramelized corn, bound together by the creamy sauce.

Modern

“Growing up as a kid in Minnesota, I ate so much hotdish that I can’t stand it anymore,” says Chef Scott Parks, CC, who is executive chef of Jordan Supper Club & Tap Room, chairman of the board for the ACF Minneapolis Chef’s Chapter and immediate past certification chair for ACF National. That’s why when Chef Parks teamed up with longtime friend and peer Chef Levinski for this CvM challenge, he took the reins on a modern twist, one that would combine all of the elements of hotdish but in a more composed fashion. The result was a perfect plating of juicy spice-rubbed short ribs cooked sous-vide style and served alongside crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside potato croquettes, bright green pea puree, corn puree, corn relish and a rich mushroom and beef demi-glace. “I didn’t want the dish to be too soft on the palate, so the corn relish is there for extra flavor and texture,” Chef Parks says. “I chose a pea puree because a green bean puree wouldn’t really work.” Of course, he had to do something other than basic cream of mushroom soup, so he went with the earthy demi-glace. Lightly sauteed trumpet mushrooms and fresh pea tendrils round out the plating.