This is an updated version of a column from last year. Mr. Sanders and I took a little time away last week, and enjoyed a short trip to New England – just in time for the gloriously wet and windy Nor’easter. We had to bundle up in sweaters and slickers as we walked and explored. The leaves are changing color, the hydrangeas are fading, and the horse chestnuts are falling. Fall is on its way. Let’s enjoy these good old days!
Tailgating season has begun, and the Spy Test Kitchens have been busy testing and tasting, planning and plotting, shopping and schlepping. It is a wonderful time of year, with the changing seasons, exciting sporting events, homecoming weekend, and all sorts of socializing which still feels like a huge relief after the COVID years. (But be sure to get your boosters and your flu shot – you don’t want to get sick and miss the big game.)
Some folks go to great lengths to have an Instagram-worthy tailgate event. Thank Martha. Think color coordination. Think branding. I’d rather focus on some delicious food to share with friends. You’ll have to decide if you will prepare your foods in advance, or if you will be cooking on site. It’s tricky to pack all that grilling equipment, but experienced season ticket holders have personal systems for packing the car with all their food, grill, ice, cups, corn hole board and dog bowls. I admire their organizational skills.
The week before a tailgate I have Post Its sticking up everywhere, reminding me what I need to bring: cups, table cloth, paper towels, Wet Wipes, Off, plastic ware, plates, nibbles, buns, beer, fizzy water, Cokes, cupcakes, a pop-up tent, table, folding chairs, blankets, picnic basket, raincoats… It is an endless, ever-changing list.
Here is a more definitive check list of tailgate necessities:
Ice – in a cooler (which doubles as extra seating)
Folding table & camping chairs
Tablecloth (if you have a long table, consider using a fitted sheet)
Grill and lighter fluid (check the rules – be sure you can have an open flame)
Matches
Grilling utensils
Paper plates
Recyclable utensils and cups
Napkins
Wipes and paper towels
Bottle opener and coozies
Trash bags
Beverages and mixers
Condiments
Water
Luke the wonder dog was always up for a car ride that would lead to an outdoor food adventure. He tried to learn how to catch a frisbee at a University of Florida tailgate, but he was more adept at, and much preferred, chasing his favorite ball, so we had to remember to pack his Chuck-it ball and launcher. Also his water bowl, his bed, and some dog treats. He enjoyed his creature comforts, but his diet could not consist solely of the hot dogs that he cadged from the coterie of adoring finance majors.
I try to keep the food simple, and make sandwiches ahead of time. Luke must dreamed about the giant 8-ounce bacon burger he had at his one Florida game. But we were all younger then, and foolish, and thought nothing about calories and our cardiac health implications. Now is the time (for us humans, at any rate) to modify our behavior. One of my faves is a French ham and butter sandwich on a fresh baguette: baguette, ham, mustard, and lotsa good French butter. What more could you need?
Perhaps a Pan Bagnat. I substitute chicken in mine, not being a huge tuna fan.
Pan Bagnat
We have even been known to stop by the grocery store deli counter to pick up a few ready made sandwiches before a game. So easy, so deelish; food prepared by other people always seems to taste better. More tailgating sandwich ideas:
Tailgate Sandwiches
Martha always has wonderful presentation, but Martha also has a staff of ambitious and talented Martha Wannabees. I do not have the stamina for a fully thematic tailgate. I might bake some school colors cupcakes, but that is where my cleverness sputters out. My energy wanes, and truly, my ideas for tailgate foods are the sorts of things we prepared for little boy birthday parties, not this sort of grand bon vivant gesture: Martha’s Game Day Recipes
I will pack up a warm cookie sheet of pigs-in-blankets and stuff it into a thermal bag, so they are still warm-ish when we socialize. Apples, veggie platters, charcuterie boards, barbecued chicken, cookies and Doritos go with us to the game, but very few ever come home again. The playful outdoor atmosphere leads to healthy appetites at a tailgate: Rule of Thumb – always bring more than you think you will need. And don’t forget your tickets to the game!
“Why, that dog is practically a Phi Beta Kappa. She can sit up and beg, and she can give her paw — I don’t say she will but she can.”
― Dorothy Parker
