Minnesota State Fair Food

I came, I saw, I ate well. Is there really any other point to the fair besides eating? Are there other things to do and spend money on? Aside from a free show at the Leinie's bandstand, I spent the entirety of my visit test-driving curious, sometimes delicious, food inventions.  Details as follows:

This, my friends, is a hot dish on a stick. That's right. Because the hot dish itself was already a bastion of healthiness so we needed to batter and deep fry it to balance things out. This was my dad's purchase and as I never would have bought one of these myself, this is proof that it's best to go to the fair with at least four people. Four stomachs, four levels of curiosity, four wallets. The hot dish on a stick had a layering of meatball and tater tot and was battered in a pronto pup-esque batter and deep fried.  As if that wasn't enough gluttony, you dip this monstrosity in gravy. Heavens.  But honestly, it was pretty tasty. I'm glad I was only responsible for 1/4 of the damage, but I probably could have eaten the whole thing.

The Australian potatoes are a classic.  They've been around for several years and they're always near the entrance.  One serving was enough for four of us and we still threw a couple slices away.  There is no redeeming health value here, which means the product is absolutely delicious.  Slices of potato deep fried and smothered in cheese and ranch, it will sit heavily in your stomach for a week but we need that extra dose of grease for the winter months ahead, right?


The Pickle Dog was a surprise hit.  When I first heard of this concoction, I pictured a dill pickle battered and fried like a corndog (and I still think that would be an excellent idea).  But this is not battered or fried and probably winds up being one of the healthiest options at the fair. You have a pickle spear smeared with cream cheese and then that heaven is wrapped in pastrami.  That's right, it's just like those little ham-and-pickle appetizers everybody has had at every Super Bowl party North of Missouri. I would definitely get this again (and will probably be making these at home to bring for lunch).



The Risotto Poppers were another new food at the fair and my expectations were pretty high given their French Meadow pedigree.  These were a gluten free option, for those worried about such things, and it was good to know that all those poor people who have to avoid corndogs can have something yummy like this waiting for them.  The poppers were full of a black bean and rice mixture with a hint of spice and we dipped them in a creamy, somewhat tomato-y sauce.  They were a great companion for the wine smoothie (below).





Ah, my sweet favorite.  I had my first sweet corn ice cram last year with the maple bacon sauce.  This year, having already had our share of bacon with the bacon ice cream (maple ice cream with chunks of bacon...interesting...), we opted for the wild blueberry sauce and that introduced me to my new favorite fair food. The ice cream is topped with sugared, quasi-popped kernels of corn and the sweetness of the ice cream and the tartness of the blueberries was just unbeatable. I will always want this when I come to the fair. Always.




Hm. The lamb fries. Hm. We opted for the grilled version because I read a review that said the fried version was low on flavor.  Well. I wish we'd ignored that review.  The grilled version was high on flavor but it wasn't a flavor I was particularly fond of and the texture was difficult to get past.  Lamb "fries" are actually lamb testicles, and I expected to enjoy them because I had testicles a couple times when I lived in Morocco.  But after a handful of bites we tossed the rest and started desperately searching for beer (and thankfully the craft brew exhibit was nearby).

Following our craft beer stop (pretty cool exhibit and nice selection of flights) we wandered in the direction of ice cream and found the wine smoothie on the way, another new invention we'd had high hopes of trying.  This was delicious and I plan on trying to whip something like this up at home.  The smoothie was a mixture of wine, ice, a bit of sorbet, and raspberry puree, and it was the perfect chilled beverage for a warm summer evening.

I'm headed back to the fair this evening and am currently torn between a classic corn dog and a pork chop on a stick.  As this is a problem I face exactly once a year, I always forget how to make this very difficult, very important choice. Coins will be flipped, I imagine.

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