The Return: Gameday foods to celebrate Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough

The GOAT himself returns to his old stomping grounds as the Buccaneers head north to play the Patriots in Foxborough (Sunday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. ET, NBC | STREAM HERE).

Buying a last-minute seat to the big game could put you back thousands of dollars, but fans can still join in on the fun with NBC’s special menu of foods inspired by New England, Tampa and the Greatest of All Time himself. Check out these GOAT Cheese Croquettes, Tampa Bay Mini Cuban Sandwiches and New England Lobster Rolls, courtesy of NBC Sports Grill & Brew.

Lobster Salad (yields 1¼ cups)

Ingredients:

1. 6 tablespoons of lobster tail meat
2. 6 tablespoons of mayo heavy duty
3. 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
4. 1 tablespoon of chopped curly parsley
5. 2 tablespoons of diced celery
6. 2 tablespoons of diced red onion
7. 2 tablespoons of diced red pepper
8. 1 tablespoon of grated fresh garlic
9. Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the Celery, red onion, red pepper in small dice and place it in a bowl.
2. Add the grated garlic and chopped parsley
3. Add the mayo and season with the old bay, salt and pepper.
4. Lastly chop the lobster tail in medium dice/cubes and mix with in the bowl. Try to not over mix or the salad won’t have texture.

 

Goat Cheese Spread (yields ½ cup)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup soft goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon basil fresh
• 1 teaspoon chives fresh

Directions:

1. Leave the goat cheese at room temperature
2. Once the cheese is soft, add it to a mixing bowl
3. Chop basil and chives and fold into the cheese
4. Add the olive oil on a slow stream and mix everything together

 

Bacon Jam

Ingredients (yields 4 cups):

• 2 cups of applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, about 3 cups, finely chopped (approximately ¼-inch pieces)
• 2 large shallots, about 1 1/2 cups, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ cup  maple syrup
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, optional but highly recommended

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy
2. Place cooked bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel, and break the bacon into approx. 1-inch pieces to be added later
3. Keep about 4 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan and carefully remove the rest
   • Bacon fat is hot! Mason jars are recommended for storage
4. Add the onion and diced shallots to the pan with the bacon grease, reducing heat to medium-low
5. Cook until the onions are caramelized (about 15-20 minutes), stirring often
6. Mix in the garlic, brown sugar, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, chili powder and pieces of cooked bacon
7. Simmer for 7-10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to the consistent of a jam
8. Serve warm or cold (but you may want to warm slightly if it has been refrigerated)

 

Goat Cheese Croquettes (makes 7 portions, 2 oz. each)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mash potatoes
• ¾ cup goat cheese
• 1½ cup panko break
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup of flour
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Make a regular mash potato and cool
2. Once the mash potatoes are cool, add goat cheese
3. In a separate bowl, combine panko, flour and eggs
4. Portion the mash/goat cheese in 2 oz. pieces
5. For the portion in cylinders or small round cakes
6. Go from dry to wet then dry (flour-eggs-panko)
7. Place the croquettes in the cooler for a more consistent and firm croquette
8. Add vegetable oil to a pot (at least a couple of inches deep) and heat it over medium high heat
9. Fry in batches of no more than 3 to 4 at a time, then place on a towel lined bowl to cool a little

 

Cuban Sandwich (makes 10)

Ingredients:

• 1 ea. Cuban bread
• 5 slices of Swiss cheese
• 4 tablespoon of yellow mustard
• 20 ea. pickles
• 10 ea. shaved ham from the deli
• 10 slices of roasted pork

Directions:

1. Cut bread/split in two halves
2. Spread the mustard on both sides
3. On the bottom half/base of the bread add
   1. The pickle
   2. Ham, pork
   3. Top it off with the Swiss cheese
4. Cut the bread in ten equal slices
5. Place it on a panini toaster and cook until the cheese is melted or until the inside of the bread is warm and the outside looks crispy

 

Plate presentation:

Ingredients:

• 1 ea. Lobster roll
• Chives – Pinch
• Kettle Chips Fried – 5 ea. with salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ea. fried croquettes
• 1 tablespoon of  goat cheese spread
• 1 tablespoon of bacon jam (room temperature)
• Mini Cuban Sandwich – 1 ea.
• Black Bean Soup – ½ cup

Directions:

1. Make a cut on the lobster roll right on top/middle of the bread and add the lobster salad place it of the corner of the plate and garnish with chopped chives, surrounded by kettle chips
2. Take 1 spoon of the goat spread and place if in the middle of the plate and spread it upwards, then place both croquettes next to each other
3. Top off the croquettes with the onion/bacon jam and drizzle excess sauce over the top
4. On the corner of the place, add the black beans.
5. Place the pressed Cuban sandwich on the top of the beans

Watch the Tom Brady lead the Buccaneers against the Patriots in New England this weekend on Sunday Night Football. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.