Super Bowl, But Make It Chic: 4 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes
If your idea of game-day hosting is a little more Martha Stewart than Tex-Mex layer dip, this menu is for you.
Roast Rack of Pork with Rosemary Gravy, Honey Glazes Carrots & Maltese Baked Potatoes
Courtesy of Hiram Cassar, chef of Michelin-starred Fernandõ Gastrotheque in Malta.
Roast Rack of Pork
Ingredients
– 1 rack of pork (2.5–3 kg, bone-in)
– 2–3 tbsp olive oil
– 4–5 garlic cloves, minced
– 2 tbsp rosemary, chopped
– 1 tbsp thyme leaves
– 1 tbsp sea salt
– 1 tsp black pepper
– 300 ml white wine
Method
- Preheat oven to 220°C.
- Pat pork dry, score fat, and rub with oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Roast for 20 min until browned.
- Lower oven to 160°C, add wine to pan, and cook until pork reaches 55°C inside (about 18–20 min per 450 g).
- Rest under foil for 15–20 min before carving.
Rosemary Gravy
Ingredients
– Pan juices from pork
– 1–2 tbsp flour (or cornstarch)
– 250–300 ml chicken/pork stock
– 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
– Salt & pepper
Method
- Skim fat from pan juices.
- Heat roasting pan, stir in flour to make a paste.
- Gradually whisk in juices + stock until smooth.
- Add mustard if using, season, and strain before serving.
Honey Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
– 750 g carrots, peeled & quartered lengthwise
– 2 tbsp butter
– 2 tbsp honey
– 1 tbsp brown sugar
– ½ tsp flaky salt
– ¼ tsp black pepper
– 2 tbsp chives, chopped
Method
- Boil carrots in salted water for 4–5 min, drain.
- Melt butter, stir in honey & sugar, add carrots.
- Cook 5–7 min until glossy and caramelized.
- Season and sprinkle with chives.
Maltese Baked Potatoes (Patata l-Forn)
Ingredients
– 1.5 kg potatoes, sliced ½ cm
– 2 onions, sliced
– 3–4 garlic cloves, sliced
– 3 tbsp olive oil
– 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
– 1 tsp oregano (optional)
– 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
– 250 ml stock (or stock + splash of white wine)
Method
- Preheat oven to 190°C.
- Layer potatoes, onions, garlic, fennel, oregano, salt & pepper in a baking dish. 3. Pour over stock, drizzle with oil.
- Cover with foil, bake 45 min. Remove foil and bake another 30–40 min until golden. 5. Rest 10 min before serving.
Dessert: Tarte aux pralines
Hailing from Lyon, tarte aux pralines is immediately recognizable in any French pastry shop thanks to its striking bright pink colour.
The tart features a buttery, flaky pastry crust filled with a luscious, creamy custard made from crushed pink pralines—sugar-coated almonds that add both sweetness and a slight crunch.
For the dough
- 160 g flour
- 50 ml water
- 80 g cold butter, cubed
- 1 tsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and knead a dough ball. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes minimum. Roll out the pastry on a floured working surface to fit a 9-inch cake pan. Grease the pan and transfer pastry into pan, removing excess pastry with a knife, and pricking pastry with a fork for ventilation. Prebake for 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden. Leave to cool before adding the filling.
For the filling
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 100 g pink pralinés, crushed
Bring crème fraîche and almond chunks to boil, and allow to gently bubble over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick, glossy and pink. For a brighter pink colour, opt to add a few drops of red food colouring. Let cool for several minutes before pouring into prebaked pastry shell. Allow to set for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.