“We may have to revisit this in the future,” he said. Weber said he and Sikorski discussed the unconventional entrants and noted that they have been “stretching the standards a little bit” with the allowance this year of the frozen hotdish and two breakfast hotdishes. That’s not always the case, sometimes we go with a little spice - but not very often. “It was traditional Minnesota values reflected in this year’s winner. “This was a year of great tradition,” Weber said after the contest. The compulsory ingredients included a starch, dairy product and protein. Gerry Sikorski - vetted dishes on taste, texture and consistency and components. The bipartisan judges’ panel - former Republican Rep. His championship entry last year was the “Hermann the German Hotdish,” a casserole of brats, beer and Tater Tots. His winning dish, the “Turkey Trot Tater Tot Hotdish,” also featured Hormel bacon and lots and lots of cheddar cheese. We all do it as a staff together,” he said, adding that he was “very adamant” about using in-district products and that the decision to include Jennie-O turkey was a calculated one. “It was on the intern’s desk this morning. Walz was confident going into the competition, and he described an elaborate, painstaking preparation that included a Crock-Pot and toaster oven in his congressional office. His entry, the “Morning ‘Hot Chow’ Hotdish,” featured maple sausage, hash browns and cereal from Minnesota-based MOM Brands. When the judges tallied their final scores, Klobuchar ended up tying with Kline for first runner-up.

I went for the gold,” said Klobuchar, who won the title in 2011 with a “Taconite Tater-Tot Hotdish.” “It’s out of the box, and something we have never seen before in a Minnesota hotdish contest. “That takes chutzpah.”įor her part, Klobuchar said the bone-chilling temperatures in Minnesota this winter inspired her entry, “It’s So Cold My Hotdish Froze,” a peanut butter-fudge-cream cheese concoction. Amy Klobuchar’s decision to enter a frozen dessert, which he noted is not hot at all. Minutes before the tasting began in a congressional hearing room, Rep.

Participation was greater than ever with all 10 members creating dishes, and one could argue the competition was more heated than ever. Al Franken hosted the fourth annual cookoff among the state’s congressional delegation Wednesday with hopes of cooking up some bipartisan goodwill. Tim Walz clinched the Minnesota hotdish title this year: the addition of Jennie-O ground turkey. WASHINGTON – It came down to the wire, but judges said one very clever, tactical maneuver by Rep.

Amy klobuchar tater tot hotdish